


Danse Macabre

by arcanehalo, Psycho-Trassh (choppychopsuey)



Category: Psycho-Pass
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Drug Use, Drug-Induced Sex, Dubious Consent, Dubious Morality, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Forced Prostitution, Graphic Description, Graphic Description of Corpses, M/M, Multi, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Prostitution, Rape, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2018-09-17 21:25:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 12
Words: 50,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9346526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcanehalo/pseuds/arcanehalo, https://archiveofourown.org/users/choppychopsuey/pseuds/Psycho-Trassh
Summary: An AU where the Sybil System only approves of a few sex clubs.Revolving around the life of one girl named Kougami Shinya, her world spirals into a series of events beginning with the night she was sold to the highest bidder.





	1. L'Escarpolette

**Author's Note:**

> The writing within is not reflective of, encouraging nor discouraging any particular moral stand or value. It is meant to be artistic and experiential and open to interpretation and considered thoughtfully, reflected upon. A.K.A. I’m not telling you what to think or do reader, I’m telling you a fucking story.
> 
> Kogomi: I don’t know what we’ve gotten ourselves into.
> 
> Matrashima: It’s finally here. Most of these were written by Kamuimi *snicker* We edited them though. That was fun.
> 
> Kamuimi: I wrote some of these during the ungodly hours of 4 am. I don’t know what I was on and I don’t remember what I wrote.

December 24, 2109 [07:25 PM]

 It was just another night, yet the pang in Ginoza’s chest tells him otherwise.

 "Where are you taking me?“

 He walked a few paces ahead of her. Months ago, she would’ve been dragged kicking and screaming. But this was Ginoza, and Kougami followed him willingly, believing he had come to rescue her.

 "I-I want to go home…”

 They walked silently down narrow black hallways. He didn’t have the strength to turn and face her. She didn’t have a home.

 At each turn, the sound of sultry music and and a muttering crowd grew louder, and the hallways seemed to grow wider. Ahead, a door to their right opened and Kougami and Ginoza both caught a glimpse of the room outside.

 The mansion was teeming with people. People gaudily dressed with a palette of color in their faces and with jewelry that would make the stars envious of their twinkle.

Ginoza knew who they were.

They were the clients….no, really they were customers. ‘Respectable’ men, dressed in the finest suits and soaked in the cologne of a decadent lifestyle. A lifestyle defined by the amount of money they can flaunt, money they believe could buy off anything and everything.

These people worship money as their God. They wiped their trails clean with old paper bills, slithering through the cracks of the system.

These people were devils, but everyone under this roof was at their mercy. Those flimsy bills of value drew the line between a peaceful caged life or a life of judgement outside these walls.

 It was unfair. It was why he was here.

 "Right this way.“ a woman beckoned from the dark ahead of them. Barely seen in the shadows, features defined by the dim fluorescent lighting peeking through the crack of the open door beside her. The woman seemed worn out from her job of how many years.

She led Kougami to the so-called ‘ladies-in-waiting’ ready to rid her of any traces of the week she spent in solitude. She had to be presentable.

Ginoza could not wrap his mind around how this was humane. Kougami had been kept away from any form of meal or luxury. They said it helped physically and mentally cleanse the girls for the task they were about to undertake. It made her more compliant. Girls like them with high psychopasses tended to be hostile. This was to ensure the safety of the clients, that was the official reason. But he suspected Customers wanted the girls submissive and easy to dominate.

Although the drugs that they shot into her system kept her nourished and calm, it neither brought much color to her skin nor meat to her bones. But that was why she was being made up now. It was customary for this business. These would be girls who are appraised and sold off after being bidded upon.

"We must get you cleaned and make them love you, dear!”

Their 'matron’ watched every treatment they gave Kougami. They scrubbed her clean of any dirt, they shampooed and brushed her raven tresses, leaving no tangles. They clipped her nails and colored them. Her face was painted with so much makeup it hid the dark circles under her eyes, and her chapped dehydrated lips were masked with rogue.

You wouldn’t have known she hadn’t eaten in a week.

‘How did it come to this?’ Ginoza asked himself, gazing at the chains they’d handed him. Chains meant for his friend.

As if on cue, Kougami emerged from the room. She looked far from the pitiable girl he’d brought in moments ago. A lacy, silken, translucent dress graced her curves, accentuating every part that clients would want to see and it is to tell everyone of how she is as white and pristine… Pure, above all else.

Purity only emphasized by her trembling frailty.

Her lips parted slightly as she caught sight of her only friend. “Gino… Please, take me back home.” With a few steps forward, she stumbled into his arms. Ginoza took the accident as a chance to soothe her.

But the leather collar was placed around her neck and they had to pull her away from him, making sure that the accessory was securely placed on her. She couldn’t shout at them but her eyes reflected the horror.

“S-stop… N-no…” She whimpered, reaching out to Ginoza as she stifled a sob.

Before she could look into his eyes, they place a blindfold on her. In the dark, she felt them shuffle her into a small crowd, bodies that felt warm but clammy like hers. She was not alone, but it gave her no comfort.

A voice amplified through a speaker into a crowded room she could not see.

“Utopia welcomes everyone to this long awaited night of our Christmas auction! We request everyone to please take their seats and we look forward to doing business with each and every one of you.”

The host for the night dressed in a navy blue suit and a monocle welcomed everyone. As he took a bow, the festivities began.

Girls who barely passed for eighteen were herded out. They were dressed in lavish gowns and dresses. All were chained and given a collar, the fear in their eyes apparent. Kougami had to stay in the back as people around her chattered, talking about how she’s the most special one they had so far.

A girl with orange hair in clips sipped her drink at the bar through a straw, careful not to smudge her lip gloss. “Here come the virgins.” she smirked.

Kagari caught a glimpse of the raven haired newbie in the back and almost choked. “She’s pretty dolled up, Kou-chan is. Damn, they got her so drained and drugged she doesn’t much look like herself anymore.”

An older brunette with cropped bangs and a built frame nodded as she downed a shot. “She barks worse than she bites. When they dragged her in here, she was fighting them all the way.” She lit a smoke and took a drag as she smirked at the poor blindfolded girl on stage, “She doesn’t belong here, her hue is clear. I checked. Poor thing probably tried to make things right. Once she grasps her situation better, she might make a really lively service lady.”

The orange haired girl laughed. “I can’t tell if thats nice or mean, Mitsuru.”

“I’m both, Kagari-kun.” Sasayama winked, a cigarette between her lips. She raised  her glass filling it with another shot. “I’m whatever the client wants from me.”

Ginoza stood close to Kougami, trying to support her with at least his presence since he was unable to talk to her. He steeled himself and waited, a ticking doomsday clock ringing in his ears–one that he’d wound.

“Ginoza-san, if you may.” And so the words pierced right through him.

He gripped onto the chain, his eyes glowering at the man who insisted they move. He rose from his seat and tugged on the 'leash.’ He could feel his dear friend resist as he tried prying her up by her arms. She pulled her arm away from him.

“I’m here, it’s alright.” he tried to soothe.

The terror flitted away for a moment, but the sound of the chains rattling brought it back.

On the swing she was told to sit on, she thought of the girls who were in it before her. She wondered what happened to them. She wondered what would happen to her.

Before her thoughts drifted away even further, she was snapped out of her reverie as the sound of a holo switching on buzzed close by. A holographic bird cage manifested around her. She couldn’t see, but she knew she was now on display.

Ginoza could only watch. With Kougami in the center stage, he knew it would mean suicide if he even attempted to halt this event. Any delays would be dealt with accordingly. If any of what they’d suspected of this place was true, then he had a duty not only to Kou, but to every girl under his care.

“And may I remind of you, this beautiful creature… She is pure, untainted, and yes, she is still a virgin.” The crowd gasps in amazement.

Kou’s head jerked up at the mention of her purity and she couldn’t help but look extremely worried. The reason why she was brought to this place was stabbing at her. She was tired. Her energy was long spent. She had no fight left. She’d never felt so helpless.

“Starting bid is at…25 thousand dollars!” Silence.

“Do I hear 27?” A show of hands.  "29?“ More hands. "30?”

Kougami was hearing all these numbers but couldn’t comprehend their meaning. Ginoza comprehended too well.

“I am getting 250 thousand from the lovely miss at the back,” echoed in Ginoza’s ear.

“475 thousand.” The room fell silent.

“650 thousand! Thank you very much!”

The host acknowledgds the incredibly steep bid but then…

“1 million.”

Footsteps reverberated throughout the hall. The man who took the bid by the throat walked forward. “Ah, Togane-san! It’s a pleasure to do business with you!” The host gives him a rather deep bow as he gestured for them to take the young lady down.

And that was Ginoza’s cue.

The hologram animated the cage doors opening then disappeared. As the host entertained Kougami’s buyer, he stepped up to her and gently tapped her leg, letting her know that he’s there.

“Come on…” He softly told her as he hooked his arms underneath her knees and his other arm  across her back.

She draped her arms around his neck as she weakly pressed her trembling form towards him. Her exhaustion was highly apparent from her ragged breathing and quivering thighs. She tried to swallow little gasps of air but, she couldn’t stop from shivering. The drugs have done their work now, she’ll be handed to her bidder.

Slowly, he brought her down to stand on her feet. The moment her bare feet touched the ground, she whimpered and tried holding onto Ginoza once again.

“Please, Ginoza-san.” The host gestured towards Togane.“It was a pleasure doing business with you, Ginoza-san.” the man said.

With the way the man said his name, Ginoza gripped onto the chains, his hands balled up into a fist he wanted to send flying.

Togane reached hand out to receive his prize and Ginoza pulled her forward harshly. The moment he felt Kougami resist, he gritted his teeth and pulled harder. Kougami yelped as she tried standing her ground.

“We don’t have time for this!” He spat.

He felt the chain slack. She had stopped resisting.

He gave the leash a hard pull, sending Kougami stumbling towards them, nearly landing on her knees. The shock that coursed through her body when Ginoza raised his voice was all too much. She felt even weaker and hoped she wouldn’t face him after this.

Ginoza comes closer and reaches out to undo the collar on her neck only to be stopped.

Kougami  could not help but shudder when she heard her bidder speak, “Keep the chains. It looks lovely on her.”

The moment the chains were in his grip, Togane pulled her close, and she fell straight to his arms.

He ripped her blindfold off from her eyes and there, Ginoza saw how she had them all cried out. They were puffy and red, and they matched her swollen, bitten-down lips.

Kougami’s thoughts drifted from the green eyes she felt she would never see again, to the color she couldn’t recall in the eyes of the man who’d bought her.

Her exhaustion was clawing at her. She wanted to collapse and wake up to find that this had all been just a bad dream. Yes, everything must’ve been just a terrible, terrible dream. She’d wake up, and she’d never taken that job, that unapproved, out-of-the-system job. She hadn’t failed, or been left abandoned by her friend. She hadn’t gambled her fate. She hadn’t lost.

And suddenly….nothing.

Kougami had fainted.

 

 

 

December 24, 2109 [11:07 PM]

The lights lined up on the long stretch of the highway flicker about in the car. Darkness had enveloped the car and the light at the end of the tunnel stirred her awake.

Where was he taking her? Not knowing was more frightening than knowing, she felt more in the dark than when she’d had the blindfold on.

She tried to sit up, but the car suddenly stopped and lurched her forward. The car door then swung open and a pair of harsh, rough hands gripped onto her arms so tightly it was sure to leave a bruise.

Kougami stumbled forward, and she was pulled into the building which seemed to tower all the way up to the clouds.

Her lethargy made it hard for her to lift her head and she was at least thankful for not being able to see this man’s face. This man who she didn’t want to think would be her 'first.’ She wasn’t the kind of girl to really think about sex or her love life, but during her days in seclusion all she could think about was how this was not what she had pictured it to be.

Now all she saw was a cell towering over the concrete jungle, the home of this callous man. A complete stranger, a predator, and tonight, her master.

The glint in his eyes as he dragged her along the lobby didn’t even merit the slightest attention. A couple of people were busy chatting away on their phones, not even batting an eyelash at the girl in chains.

It was as if she didn’t exist.

Kougami nearly hit her head as one tug sent her flying towards the elevator. The lightheadedness made it hard for her to gain her footing. As she looked up, she saw they were heading to the 60th floor.

Alone in the elevator, she glanced at the small CCTV camera in the corner and wondered if anyone was watching, if anyone would help if she’d cried out. Wasn’t Sybil watching? She was too scared to find out.

Togane held her in front of him, looming behind her. He ran his fingers through her hair, caressing her from the tip of her ears down to her nape. “You’re trembling, are you excited?” he whispered. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t answer.

The elevator door dinged open, and he dragged her across the carpeted floor leading to the suite at the end of the hallway. She didn’t even have time to wonder where she was.

The suite welcomed them with darkness, but just as suddenly the lights paved the way into the bed. The bedroom was pristine and decadent, her eye immediately settled on the richly patterned burgundy sheets framed by dark oak in the canopy bed.

A chill ran up Kougami’s spine. She didn’t want to think just how many women or men must have stained them because of this man. But then there was the debilitating thought that she would just be another one of those poor, desecrated souls.

Her reverie was sharply cut off by a tug at her leash and she was thrown face down onto the bed.

Before Kougami could turn around and protest against the rough handling, he gripped onto her tresses and flipped her onto her back.

She wanted to claw at his face but he caught her wrists and pinned it above her head. A whimper escaped her lips and he saw the way she looked at him, reveling in the invitation.

“Let me go…” She breathes out as she struggled under him. With his legs clamped onto her svelte waist, every bit of effort was futile.

He brushed his fingers along her hairline drawing a line around her face. “So beautiful and pure, aren’t you….” he said with a wry smile. He pressed his thumb against her quivering lower lip, and touched the hem of her teeth, opening her mouth.

Dry sobs escaped from the back of her throat, quiet, almost nonexistent, and he mocked them with a frown.

Suddenly, his face was an inch from hers, a dark expression on his face. Her jaw pinched between his thumb and fingers, she tried and failed to turn her face away from his slow, even breath.

He jerked her face to one side, and slowly inspected her features. He jerked it the other way and did the same. “So pretty, pure and clear…” he whispered, not really to her anymore. “There is no place for something so pure in this world…”

He shoved her face away, and before Kougami could feel relieved he struck her cheek. “You’re just a filthy whore.” he said dismissively. He spat at her, and Kougami thought maybe she wasn’t all cried out like she thought she was, or perhaps these were phantom tears.

He took out a handheld scanner and went over her. He clicked his tongue and ran his hands through his hair.

She felt his eyes on her, and buried her face into the pillows. They were soft but not comfortable. Her face contorted in frustration. She was too tired, in too much pain, too broken… but she wanted to fight back. Togane scoffed. “What’s wrong, whore?” he asked.

She stayed silent, her only remaining defiance.

He slapped her face where he’d struck her. The red on her cheek darkened. “Well?”

With her remaining strength she tried to push him off, but it came across as her merely throwing herself against him and pounding back on the bed, limp.

Togane laughed low and quiet, shaking his head. A shadow came over his face and suddenly it was a sneer. “Don’t play a victim, here.” he scowled, “I bought you because you were selling yourself. You are worthless scum. Your hue is a lie, there is nothing pure about you.”

Kougami felt her body ache from the attempt at fighting, and in the ache her other senses began to sharpen. The drugs kept her weak, but she was starting to unnumb and her thoughts began to collect themselves. Earlier she had feared he would destroy her, but now she realized as he talked about hues and purity that he aimed to remake her.

He was going to strip her down to nothing til she was the barest of what she was and fill her with darkness til she couldn’t find the light again.

He wanted to corrupt her to her core.

Togane dug his fingernails into her shoulder and scratched down her arm. Kougami winced as he drew a little blood, and he smiled.

He pulled her up from under him, banging her head against the headboard as he moved back. She let out a small cry of pain, and Togane paused before banging her head against the board again. She could feel that it was going to bruise.

“Get used to the sensation, whore. You’ll be feeling it the rest of your career.”

She wanted to hold her hand against her head to soothe it, but she was afraid to move and expose any part of her body. Instead she tightened her limbs against herself, as if doing so would make her disappear.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Togane sneered, “Whores open themselves up.” He pried her hands away from her chest, forcing them far apart. He pressed his fingers at the base of her neck, drawing a line between her breasts to her navel making her cringe. He forced her legs apart roughly and ran his fingers through her gown.

“P-please… stop…” Her voice was unheard, drowned out by the sound of ripping fabric and the groan Togane drew out.

His lips crashed into hers in a wild dance for dominance and Kougami couldn’t muster enough strength to bite those lips that aimed to devour her. His rough hand then snaked onto her firm bottom, groping it violently, and making her cry out as she writhed away from his grasp.

She felt him fumbling at his garments, stripping away his dress shirt, his tie, and as he undid his fly, she was met with another rough kiss. The assault trailed down the crook of her neck to her shoulder. There, he left a mark that drew blood and a scream from the young lady.

The scream didn’t die down as he penetrated her with his digits, not waiting for her to catch her breath or prepare herself.

The spasms her legs created were jagged and pained as he buried his fingers deep within her while his free hand roughly groped her chest. He felt his teeth graze the torn fabric thinly covering her ample chest.

Seemingly unsatisfied with the mark he’d left on her shoulder, he bit down hard and sucked on her chest, eliciting another pained scream. All these rough gestures drove her mind to the edge and it sent nothing but liquid fire running in her veins.

Every single touch he gave hurt. Every single breath that ghosted her skin burned her and every single moment was slowly killing her.

Just when she thought the hands on her body and the tongue on her flesh was enough to end her, she felt something hard press onto her thigh. He gripped her hair tight, throwing her head back, craning her neck so that he could leave numerous marks.

“You needy little bitch, look how wet you are.” He took his digits out from her and he lapped them up, tasting her essence. “You want me inside you so badly, don’t you?” He growls into her ear and before she could breathe, a sharp pain coursed through her nether regions which shot throughout her entirety, leaving her screaming, gasping for air, her hands clawing at nothingness, searching for something to hold onto.

“Fuck, you’re so tight.” His arms snaked around her waist, pressing her close as he thrusted in deep within her, taking her purity, and shattering every bit of resolve she had.

“N-noooo!!” She sobbed, tears mercilessly streamed down her face as she began seeing nothing but white.

The sound of his flesh pounding against hers made a sickening rhythm, sending her into some sort of catatonic state as she was thrusted in and out of again and again.

He gripped her ankles and lifted them onto his shoulders, making Kougami curve her back, accommodating his large form as he thrusted his member with wanton abandon.

“You fucking like that don’t you, you filthy whore?” He gazed right into eyes that seemingly lost any traces of life. She bore a disgusted look.

Without pulling out of her, he raised his hand and squarely lands a backhand across the helpless young lady’s face, waking her from her state which elicited an incredulous look. Still disgusted by her reaction, Togane harshly grips her hair and turns her face first onto the mattress.

“Don’t give me that look, harlot. It’s not how mother would have looked.” He hisses at her ear as his grip on her hair only tightened. The knot in her stomach threatened to make her throw up.

He presses his weight onto her as he penetrates her from behind, causing Kougami to let out another voiceless scream. Her legs were too weak to prop her up and her arms lost the ability to even raise her from such a demeaning state.

She was being taken like an animal and the man doing so wallowed in the height of his power.

She could clearly hear his flesh hitting against hers and she wished her ragged breathing and the hard beating of her chest would drown out the sound of her violation.

But then, when she felt like losing herself in this nightmare, he marks her again and again and again like a man possessed, biting, sucking, scratching and bruising.

Kougami hissed at the pain but she knows the pain throbbing in her neck, her arms, and her thighs was incomparable to what was just taken from her.

All she can do was cry onto the pillow underneath her, wishing that there would be someone who would take her away. Even killing her seemed like mercy now.

Her sobs were muffled but then, that seem to have reached Togane’s ears and he again flipped her onto her back. And with another painful thrust, she felt him twitch within her walls.

She wanted to scream but there came the rough hands wrapped around her throat. Her tongue lolled out as she felt the last slivers of air escape her lungs.

Then her eyes started rolling back to her head as her legs tried kicking off the beast that was choking her to death while taking her again and again.

“M-Make it st-stop….”She rasped out. Togane merely let out a chuckle as he tightened his fingers around her neck even more.

'I don’t want to live anymore.’ She whimpered in her mind.

'God, just let him end me.’

Before her vision faded to black, he heard the man growl low and loud as he released himself within her. His length twitching inside her and as his grip on her neck loosened, she felt her consciousness slipping away.

And with one last mark from him, Togane rode out his release onto the young lady’s fair face while grinning at the sight of her completely ravaged body.

He took out the handheld scanner again and went over her. It flashed 85. He took a deep breath through his nose, frustrated. It had gone murky, but it hadn’t been enough. It was even impressive for now.

He leans back to marvel at what he had created, holding the scanner to the side to frame it. Art in the form of a body that would be screaming out for days, asking to be euthanized. A piece that would soon be composed of forget-me-not blues, crimson roses, and lilies as white as snow. His masterpiece.

He put his lips gently to the screen of the scanner.

“No one is as pure as you, mother” he whispered.

A prayer to his muse.

 

 

December 25, 2109 [03:27 AM]

Ginoza heaved a heavy sigh as he impatiently flipped his phone over for the nth time.

No messages.

No missed calls.

Your voicemail is empty.

The frustration he’d built up made it hard for him to even consider what he would face when he picked up Kougami.

The sound of chains followed him around that night has been ringing in his memory. The look on Kougami’s face the moment he handed the chains over to her bidder would be engraved in his memory.

Was this guilt clawing at his chest? From the words of comfort he whispered to her and the promises of escape he made, it seemed they only added to the weight of leaving her here in the first place. Now–

A call that turned his veins into ice was asking for his attention.

Togane Sakuya.

For a moment he’d forgotten it was his job to keep track of his clients and nearly dropped his phone in shock. His hands trembling, he managed to answer.

“Guess I’m done. She was delicious.” The voice was husky, teetering on to becoming hoarse. “Thank you for the meal.”

The intoxicated voice sent a chill down his spine, it was a grimey sensation like he was breathing down his neck. Ginoza politely coordinated with the caller, thanking him for his patronage.

He anxiously made his way to her, hurrying, not giving Togane too much time to do much else. He followed the directions indicated by the tracker left on Kou–as per protocol for retrieving their product–and he hoped it wouldn’t lead him to the docks, or an empty warehouse, or even deep within a forest.

He played out the scenarios in his head, breathing in and out to calm himself. He had a job to do…and Kougami was not the priority.

He parked his car in front of Togane Foundation’s main building. “Togane Sakuya” he whispered to himself, stressing on his last name and shaking his head in recognition.

He observed the quiet night all around him, and took a deep breath.

Tonight was a night like many other nights to come, and the pang in Ginoza’s chest tightened.


	2. Half-Life Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The writing within is not reflective of, encouraging nor discouraging any particular moral stand or value. It is meant to be artistic and experiential and open to interpretation and considered thoughtfully, reflected upon. A.K.A. I’m not telling you what to think or do reader, I’m telling you a fucking story 
> 
> Kogomi: Tasukete…  
> Matrashima: Instead of sexy lesbians, sexy gay men. I tried my best. Here’s to Sasayama, who died Jan 15.  
> Kamuimi: *S K R E M S*

December 25, 2109 [05:43 AM]

“No!!” She screamed, her lungs raw and heaving, her tears merciless.

“Shinya-kun, stop it!!” Shion knew Kougami was in pain, but he couldn’t even get a needle close to her when she was kicking and thrashing.

“W-what’s happening, hey! Stop pushing me away!!”

A furious tone came from outside the room where Yayoi was guarding the delicate procedure.

“Kagari… Stop this. Calm down.” He firmly tells the petite girl with vermillion hair clawing at him, trying to see if their friend was alright.

“K-kagari-kun…” Hinakawa tugs at her sleeve, hoping to calm her down. “Ginoza-san said Karanomori-san would do his best…”

Kagari grit her teeth and clenched her fists. She loses momentum, and only gives a final half-hearted punch against Yayoi’s chest before resting her forehead on it, her eyes glassing over.

“Kou-chan didn’t deserve that…” She whispered.

Yayoi placed his hands on Kagari’s shoulders and comforted her, “Nobody does.”

Footsteps rang down the corridor towards them, and Yayoi knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold back this next visitor.

“You are not fucking serious!!!” She yelled, her hands in the air as she threatened to burn a hole through Ginoza’s eyes with her cigarette.

“That bastard!!” She growled as she stormed towards the room where Shion was treating her friend.

Ginoza grabs her arm and stops her before she could get to the door, “Sasayama! You can’t go in there!”

“Then what the fuck do you want me to do?!” She yelled, her voice undoubtedly rang across the whole house.

“Kougami wouldn’t want you fuming like this.” Ginoza gave a cold, firm reminder. Sasayama froze. Closing her eyes and trying to calm down, she clicked her tongue, and shrugged off Ginoza’s grip. She walked away, her head hung low.If she saw Kougami now, she would only lose her temper.

Hours trickled by. When Shion finally emerged from the room, his hair was a mess and he looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

To the left of the door, he found Yayoi standing guard.

“Shion…!” Kagari jumped and turned his attention to him.

Yayoi looked up at him and Shion smiled wearily. As everyone gathered around him expectantly, he lit up a cigarette and took a long drag before speaking.

“She’s stable. Luckily, there isn’t any internal bleeding as far as I can tell. But there is still some bleeding on her genital region as well as some swelling on the back of her head.” He tells Yayoi. “She’ll need rest for at least a week.”

“Unfortunately, she can’t.” Ginoza walks in with a stoic expression on his tired face. “He wants her back in two days.” he adds, his tone indifferent, betraying nothing.

The air thickened with tension the moment Ginoza said those words. Kougami was barely breathing when Ginoza had rushed her in. The blood trickling down Kou’s thighs, the horrific display of violets and blues on her skin, and the marks that were left on every inch of her flesh haunted them. To think that she would have to go back and endure all of that abuse while having barely recovered chilled everyone to their bones. They had no idea how they would break the news to her.

Shion shook his head and clicked his tongue. “If you’re going to make her go through that so soon, then I’m putting her under intensive care right now. I’d really like to give her time to purge the psychotropic drugs from her system, but I’m afraid we’ll have to maintain this level now if we want to keep her from coming back a latent criminal.”

He turned away and opened the door to go back inside. “I’m going to keep her on an IV drip, she’s gonna be a cocktail of drugs for a while so I’m going to monitor her for a few hours.”

“Get some rest.” Ginoza tells his colleagues with a sigh before turning away and following Shion in, closing the door behind them.

A frigid draft of air welcomes him, laced with the anesthetic that permeated throughout the room.

There she laid as if she was entirely at peace, as if she would wake up to the sunlight caressing her face.

But the harsh reality, while unseen on her expression, was devastatingly apparent in her appearance. Her pale skin was covered in disgusting purple and blue hues with flecks of scarlet, and her hair was in disarray, her bangs matted against her forehead. Her breathing was so slow and subtle, it barely assured him she was still alive.

As Shion prepared the IV drip, Ginoza realized that tonight definitely wouldn’t be the last time he saw her like this. He ran his fingers through her hair, a bitter expression on his face.

Shion noticed this and sighed. “I’m going to go contact the therapist now, he’ll need to be here the moment she wakes up, and you need to be gone.”

Ginoza frowned at him and Shion shrugged as he turned away.

Ginoza looked down at Kougami’s restful, battered face and his heart ached. “I’m here…” He whispers to her as he gave her forehead a gentle kiss.

“I’m never going to leave you again”

 

December 25, 2109 [08:27 PM]

“Poor girl…” Shion said as he took a drag from his cigarette, dropping his coat on the floor by the door.

His room was small-ish, similar to that of his latent criminal friends. There was a wide window across the wall to give a good illusion of space, and a view of the adjacent building as well as a small sliver of the late night sky. A hint of neon light from some distant signage fell in through the window, giving a pink tint to the sparse furniture inside–mostly the bed.

Shion sat on his bed while Yayoi went straight to the chair at Shion’s dresser.

“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Yayoi asked him as he took off his blazer, “She doesn’t have much time to recover, physically or mentally.”

Shion breathed out smoke, slow and tired. He put out his cigarette in the ashtray at his bedside and undid the loop in his hair. “I’m not sure. There’s only so much you can medically do, the rest is up to the will of the person.”

“She’s going to turn into a latent criminal eventually. I don’t know if I hope our employers keep her on here, or if I want them to just turn her in to the MWPSB.”

“She’s going to be ostracized there!” Shion groaned as he took off his shoes. He nagged on as he unbuttoned his top, “They’ll all be judging her as an ex-inspector, and she’ll be all alone in that stupid rehabilitation facility thinking about what happened to her! Heck, I was in that damn place for a month, and that was one month too long if you ask–”

His tirade was interrupted by a deep throaty kiss from Yayoi. As he felt his tongue slide around in his mouth, he lost his train of thought. He pulled Yayoi closer by the open collar of his shirt and fell on his back. Yayoi hovered over him, and he lay with one foot hanging over the edge of the bed, tiptoeing on the floor. He could feel an erection coming as Yayoi slowly pulled away.

“You’re rambling again.” Yayoi whispered to him.

“Mmm, my lips just get loose around you.” Shion smiled.

Yayoi took Shion’s hands and pulled them from his shirt, cupping them in his hands and kissing them. “You’re kind, Shion. I understand why you wouldn’t want Kougami-kun to go there, but I don’t think this is the life for her.”

Shion felt the blood rush up and down his body each time Yayoi landed a kiss. He wasn’t kind, he thought, right now he was pretty sure he was just horny.

Shion was leaning in to continue their kiss when Yayoi suddenly turned away and stood up. He undid the loop in his hair and began to unbutton the rest of his shirt. “Kougami-kun is a bit naive. We’re not like the enforcers in the MWPSB, we’re not her comrades or her subordinates. She shouldn’t have told us who she was. For all we know, one of us ratted her out to the employers.”

Shion pouted at him. He was still talking about that? He was uncharacteristically chatty. He must’ve been worried.

“Oh…” Shion voiced, remembering something, “Could it be you’re also worried because of the missing girls?”

Yayoi visibly tensed and turned to Shion. “You know about them?”

“Word gets around, and I’m the demon of the net remember?” Shion smiled, “A lot of latent criminal working girls have been going missing. People think there’s something wrong with the monitoring bracelets and they’ve been running away, but if that was it I would’ve known by now. Someone’s definitely taking them.”

Yayoi raised a brow and smiled at him. Shion bit his lip and looked his partner over–his undone hair, his hands on the buttons of his dress shirt, close to the belt of his pants. Shion reached for his hand and pulled him closer.

He knelt on the bed as he undid Yayoi’s belt and pants, pulling the zipper down with his teeth. Yayoi felt himself twitch in his pants. Shion always knew how to get someone as aroused as he was.

He pushed Shion down and roughly kissed him, his fingers caressing his chest as he undid his buttons. Shion’s voice hummed in his mouth, tasting Yayoi. He wrapped his arms around his lover, peeling his shirt off, anxious for him to strip him down and touch him.

“Hurry,” Shion whispered into his mouth.

Yayoi pulled back to take off Shion’s shirt, then his pants– He stripped them off so quickly, Shion became aroused by the quick rhythm of his lover’s grip and touch.

Yayoi’s hands ran through golden hair and down that shapely neck to his well-toned chest. Shion shivered at the cold touch, and the sensation of Yayoi’s long hair trailing along his skin. As Yayoi massaged Shion’s chest, Shion moaned and spread his legs apart. “Fuck me,” he sighed as he ran his fingers down his inner thighs, “Fuck me hard”.

Yayoi took his belt and looped it around Shion’s wrists over his head and around the bedpost. “Ahh, Yayoi…” he moaned.

He took the lube out from the drawer of his bedside table, and Shion stared greedily as he poured it on his hand. He slipped his thumb between his fingers and spread the sleek translucent liquid around. When he touched Shion right above his member, his partner was twitching in response.

Yayoi slid his hand and stroked their cocks together, the lube and their precum mixing and dripping between them. Shion took a sharp breath as Yayoi pinched his nipples with his other hand. “Y-Yayoi…!” Shion gritted his teeth, “Don’t… Just fuck me, already!”

Yayoi inhaled the scent of Shion’s hair as he nipped at his ear.

“I’m just getting myself ready. I know you want me really hard when I’m in you.” he whispered, sending a shiver down Shion’s spine right to the tip of his dick.

Shion writhed as Yayoi moved his hands to his ass and started groping them, his hands reaching and struggling against the belt. “Oh– Ahh, Yayoi…!”

They rubbed their skin against each other where they could, and Yayoi moved his hands around Shion’s thigh, his calloused fingers stopping by his entrance. He prodded it with his slippery thumb, and Shion’s voice rose out from the back of his throat as he breathed.

His legs twitched up and clamped against Yayoi’s torso as Yayoi pressed his thumb around and into his ass and sucked on patches of his skin. “Mmf, I-I’m ready, fuck me already…!”

Yayoi sharply stuck two fingers in and Shion cried out, arching his back to ease it in further. “More, d…deeper!” he begged, and Yayoi stuck a third finger in, making Shion bite down on his lip, both in pain and in pleasure. Yayoi moved his fingers around inside him, and Shion’s lower body twitched and writhed.

His fingers slid in and out, in and out, stretching his entrance open wide before pushing his fingers deeper inside. “Ahh, No, Ya-Yayoi n-not your fingers, I… Ahh…!” Shion shook as Yayoi bit his neck, and his elbows closed together above his head, his entire body clenching.

Yayoi pulled his fingers out and Shion almost whimpered at the sensation. “Then get me ready” Yayoi whispered in a deep low tone, kneeling over Shion’s chest. Shion pouted at him, gesturing at his bound hands. Yayoi just raised his eyebrows at him expectantly.

Shion grunted, turning to his side and propping himself up a bit on his elbows and craning his neck to reach Yayoi. He sucked and licked at his penis, having a hard time really putting it in his mouth without the help of his hands. Yayoi gripped the roots of Shion’s hair and guided him.

He pushed his cock into his mouth as deep as he could, causing Shion to give out a muffled cry of shock. But he liked it. He lolled his tongue around it, and Yayoi slowly thrusted in and out, each time making Shion whine just a little bit, a quiet moan forming in his own throat.

Shion’s lower body, neglected and hungry was dripping with excitement and twitched needily behind Yayoi.

Yayoi also began to feel himself twitching inside his mouth, so he pulled out.

A trail of saliva and whatever else dripped down the corner of Shion’s mouth. “C’mon Yayoi, please just put it in me already…!” he begged breathlessly.

Yayoi nodded as he lifted one of Shion’s legs and rested it over his shoulder. He gave a quick push into Shion’s ass and it slid in easily. Shion jerked with an excited yelp and his hands gripped onto what sheets they could reach.

As yayoi thrust deeper and deeper into Shion, he gripped the bedpost and watched his lover cry out over and over under him. “Yayoi…! Ahh! Nnng! Ya…ahh!”

Holding Shion’s thigh up against his torso, he kissed his lover’s knee. Shion moved to put as much friction as he could between them, his free leg on tiptoes, the thigh clamped around Yayoi’s waist.

“Ahh–! I’m–…I’m gonna cum..!” he cried out. Yayoi let go of the bed post and pulled Shion’s other leg over his shoulder, folding him up and thrusting downward and deeper into him. “Ya-Yayoi–!”

Their bodies rocked back and forth together, Shions voice growing rougher, higher, matching the heat that built up inside him.

“Ahh-!” He came while Yayoi was still thrusting into him. As his cum dripped down his chest, he could feel Yayoi reach his climax deep inside him.

Yayoi held his position, and Shion twitched and panted as he felt himself filling up, staring down to where their bodies connected.

Yayoi brushed some of Shion’s hair from his face. “Sorry…” he panted, “I didn’t… pull out on time.”

“You still haven’t pulled out” Shion laughed.

Yayoi frowned and slid out, and Shion shivered as he did. As the cum dripped out of him, Shion’s voice quietly quivered.

“I’ll…clean up…” Yayoi breathed, and stood up to find some towels.

“Wait, undo your belt!” Shion cried.

“When I get back, so you can’t get away” Yayoi teased.

‘As if I could,’ Shion thought with a smile.

Just moments after their tryst, his thoughts suddenly drifted back to Kougami, and how if she became a latent criminal, she’d have to wear a collar like the other working girls.

“Yayoi,” he called out. Yayoi looked up from the drawers at his partner. “About the missing girls… I noticed a pattern.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“…there’s no way to know for sure, since the clients often leave false information…but… Some were said to have had a client who introduced himself as a ‘Prince.’”

They stared at each other from across the room, Shion watching Yayoi for a reaction. “I don’t think I’ve heard any of our clients introduce themselves that way.”

Shion nodded. “Alright.”

Yayoi searched for the towels in silence. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he worried that he’d simply heard wrong.

 

Jan 01, 2109 [09:15 AM]

Kagari, Sasayama and Hinakawa sat quietly around a table in one of the backrooms. It was late morning– Their time off. The scent of coffee mingled with the smoke of Sasayama’s cigarettes, exiting through the ventilation in place of the windows that weren’t there.

They had most of the place to themselves at this time of day, the rest of the working girls–the ones who weren’t latent criminals–had gone home hours ago.

Kagari twiddled with the clips in her hair, clipping and unclipping them. Hinakawa blew gently at the hot tea, tilting the cup high as she drank so that the particles of her medication went down with it. Sasayama put out her cigarette and lit another one.

“Good morning, girls” Shion groaned as he walked into the backroom, Yayoi following closely behind him.

Shion pulled up a chair to sit with the girls while Yayoi went to prepare them both coffee.

As he sits down, Sasayama offers Shion a cigarette. He winks at her, but as Sasayama responds with silence, Shion notices the girls’ dim spirits.

“Are you all alright, what’s wrong?”

“That guy,” Sasayama started, “what’s his name, Togane? He bought Kougami again yesterday right? You even treated her.”

“Yeah…”

“I was telling Hina-chan and Kagari-kun here about how she came home all quiet again last night. I feel like she hasn’t spoken since that first night. She seems to be holding on really well, all things considered…but…Shion, how is her Psycho-pass, really?”

Shion took a deep drag off his cigarette, and slowly breathed out the smoke. Yayoi handed him his coffee, and nodded for him to tell them.

“Well, here’s the thing,” Shion said as he took the coffee in his hands, “When she comes in, it’s very high. Dangerously high. But, since she’s been taking the drugs and the therapy I recommended, she’s managed to stay under 100. In fact, in the two weeks since her first night, it’s seemed to normalize faster once she was here.”

Kagari and Hinakawa both looked up at each other then at Shion. “What’s that mean?” Kagari asked.

Frowning in contemplation, Shion took a final drag, let the wisps of smoke flow out of his lips before he put out his cigarette and took a sip of coffee. “Have you guys been talking to her?”

Kagari shrugs. “A little bit.”

“What have you been talking about?”

“We haven’t talked to her too much about her client…thought it might just upset her more.” She put her legs up on the chair and hugged her knees. “But we’ve been doing what you said and tried helpin’ her see it more like something that happened to her, y’know? Like it doesn’t change her, and how sex ain’t like that. I even told her to try masturbating.”

Shion nearly spat out his coffee and Sasayama slapped the backside of Kagari’s head. “You shouldn’t have said that!”

“Mitsuru, why are you hitting me, you even offered her your dildo!”

Sasayama squinted at her, “I did?”

Shion blinked at them, and laughed. As the two bickered, he eyed Hinakawa who was smiling at them, and he knew that Kougami had probably smiled too. It was healthy that Kougami could also find some distance from the event. She wasn’t a normal case, she had no home to go back to, no clear and safe environment where she could heal and come to terms with what happened–what was happening to her on a regular basis.

At the very least with Sasayama and Kagari, she was able to gain perspective on the role her body had in her identity. It was only a body. It was _her_ body. She could still enjoy being in her body, even if what happened to it wasn’t always her choice. The drugs added to it, surely, but she was stable for now.

The only problem left was what happened to her every time she slept with that man. Soon, the amount of drugs Shion could safely administer to Kougami wouldn’t be enough to calm her down. Perhaps even her friends wouldn’t be able to help.

He felt a hand on his, and he looked up to see that it was Yayoi’s. “We’re doing everything we can,” He said to him and Shion smiled solemnly, their fingers intertwining in comfort and reassurance.

Just then they heard the coffee machine whirring. They all turned and noticed Kougami making a cup of coffee.

“How long has she been here?!” Kagari snippily whispered at Hinakawa who should’ve seen her as soon as she came in. Hinakawa made an apologetic expression, fists held close to her chest in confusion and shock.

“Act. Natural.” Sasayama hissed.

As Kougami turned to face them, Shion threw his arms around Yayoi, Kagari spread her arms across the table in front of her and rested her chin on her cup, Hinakawa hid, and Sasayama stuck a cigarette in her mouth, though she already had one, and lit them both up in her panic, sending her on a coughing fit.

Kougami blinked at them.

Then she did something unexpected…she smiled.

Before anyone could process and think of how to react, Hinakawa spoke in a panicked , jittery tone. “U-Uhm, Ko-Kougami-san…!”

Everyone turned to the second source of surprise.

“Y-You wanna…sit with us today? M-maybe…?”

Kougami looked down at her coffee, then past them at her feet. No one even noticed they’d been holding their breaths until Kougami nodded and they breathed out in relief.

She walked quietly, but she didn’t waver. She didn’t flinch when she reached the table, and as she pulled up a chair beside Sasayama, they noticed that the sleeves of her sweater weren’t pulled to her fingertips like lately.

She sat among them looking down at the cup in her hands, and drank quietly.

Everyone was relieved, but no one knew what to say. Sasayama was about to reach out and comfort her, but she thought against it. Shion said Kougami might react violently to touch for a while. Her hand fell limp and useless onto her lap.

Sasayama placed the cigarette back between her lips and frowned at the others, signaling them to say something.

Kougami patted Sasayama’s arm, causing the latter to flinch this time. “Thank you all for doing what you can.” Kougami said knowingly, directed at Shion.

  
Perplexed, Sasayama bit her lip and Kagari chuckled. “Kou-chan you’ve managed to make Mitsuru shut up. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her do that.”

“How about I shut you up?” Sasayama glowered.

Kagari winced and Shion laughed.

The scent of coffee mixed with cigarette smoke, and the sound of Shion’s laugh and the bickering of two girls rang clear in that empty backroom. The soft glow of fluorescent light in a windowless space made it impossible to tell what time of day it was.

Kougami didn’t mind. She sipped her coffee, and drank in the temporary peace.

 

January 03, 2109 [04:01 AM]

Sasayama entered the bedroom she shared with Kougami. She had just finished with a client and to say she was tired was a huge understatement. Her arms were sore from handling wooden paddles and whips all day and the leather corset she had been wearing for hours had become uncomfortable, the steel boning rubbing the skin of her ribs raw.

Taking note of her roommate who was fast asleep despite the lights on, she tried to undress as quietly as possible, making sure her garments hit the floor without a sound as to not disturb Kougami’s sleep. Contented with putting on a pair of cotton shorts and a camisole, she softly pads over to the other girl’s bed to check up on her.

sweater from Sasayama. The older girl  frowns at the new bruises littering Kougami’s forearms and rope burns on her wrists. ‘At least she doesn’t have another black-eye.’ she thinks as she pulls the blankets up to Kougami’s chin.

The movement woke the sleeping girl and she started to stir. Sasayama mentally cursed, Kougami really needed that rest.

“…Hey…What’s up?” Kougami asked. Sasayama didn’t miss the way she winced as she groggily tried to sit up. Her frown deepened and Kougami noticed. “Sasayama, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Hm? Ah! Yeah, just a little tired.” Sasayama tried not to look directly at Kougami, knowing how hard it was to lie with those steel blue eyes intensely staring at her. “Sorry I woke you up, though. I thought you were cold.”

“Oh, well thanks… “

“How’ve you been, though?” Sasayama prodded as she took in the pitiful sight of her friend rubbing her sore wrists absent-mindedly, picking at the already abused skin.

Kougami noticed Sasayama’s eyes on her and chose her next words carefully. She consciously pulled the sleeve down to hide her wounds. “I’m fine. Togane-san, he… It’s not as bad as before.”

The placid answer angers Sasayama and before Kougami could react the other girl practically straddles her. “Wha- Hey!” Kougami flinched when the cold air hit her skin. Sasayama had pulled her hoodie up, revealing her torso. She hung her head in shame as Sasayama seethed, not at the numerous marks that littered her skin but at the huge purpling bruise on her ribs.

“Bullshit, Kou. What did he do to you this time? Did he kick you there for crying out?” Sasayama gritted out. It took a lot of willpower for her not immediately storm out and hunt down this abusive man.  “Don’t try to act like you’re okay! I know your Crime Coefficient has been going higher every time you back from that sick motherfucker.”

Kougami visibly tensed at the mention of her Crime Coefficient.

She managed to stop her hands from shaking too much as she pulled down the hem of her sweater to cover herself. “The fuck, Kou! You can’t just pretend-” At this point Kougami’s head snapped up, fixing a glare at Sasayama.

“Drop it.” Kougami pushed Sasayama off  the bed and started smoothing the wrinkles on the covers. “Kou-”Sasayama started, only to be cut off. “There’s nothing anyone can do about it, so just drop it.” Suddenly, it became even more obvious how tired Kougami looked.  The darkness under her eyes and the mottled mess of purple and yellow contrasting even more on alabaster skin. All of them were pale due to mostly being kept indoors, but Kougami looked almost sickly.

She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. Her chin nestled in the crack between her legs, her eyes turned downward with a forced stern expression. She seemed so tiny, fragile even, as if even the most gentle touch would shatter her completely.

Sasayama brought her fingers up and massaged the bridge of her nose as she exhaled. “Alright. But at least talk to us, once in a while Okay?”

“Okay.” Kougami’s voice was so small she had to strain her ears to hear.

She sat back down on Kougami’s bed and tentatively reached out to ruffle unruly locks of hair. “Seriously though, you’ve got to consider at least kicking him in the nuts once.” The comment earns a slight giggle from Kougami, causing the edges of Sasayama’s lips to curve upwards.

She headed toward the bed in the opposite side of the room where the light switch was located. As soon as the lights dimmed, she turned around and jumped into Kougami’s bed.

Kougami turned and looked at her friend in confusion. “Sa–Sasayama?!”

Sasayama grinned wide as she ducked under the covers with her. “Tonight I’m your bedmate. I’m not paying though.”

“Well I’m not paying either.” Kougami laughed quietly, turning away from her. “Free service.” Sasayama snickered, and nestled up closer to her.

After a while, Sasayama thought Kougami had fallen asleep and was ready to go to sleep too.

“Sasayama….” Kougami whispered. Sasayama opened her eyes to find her back still turned to the wall. “Thank you for worrying about me, really. Your friendship has really helped me get through this. From the start, even when I was undercover, you’ve been good to me. The enforcers back at the CID, and the working girls here in Utopia…I wanted to protect you all, too.”

Sasayama smiled. “Kougami, you’re really kind. I hope that won’t cost you your life.”

Kougami laughed. “Goodnight.” she said.

“Goodnight.” Sasayama replied.

And, for the first time in a while, Kougami slept feeling safe.


	3. Specimen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The writing within is not reflective of, encouraging nor discouraging any particular moral stand or value. It is meant to be artistic and experiential and open to interpretation and considered thoughtfully, reflected upon. A.K.A. I’m not telling you what to think or do reader, I’m telling you a fucking story.  
> Kogomi: I feel the intense need to scrub myself clean with steel wool…  
> Matrashima: I feel like I dirtied my psychopass trying to write Togane’s scene. Even Sybil can’t judge us.  
> Kamuimi: *Some more screaming*

January 15, 2109 [08:35 PM]

“A-Ah-!” Kougami felt all the air being knocked from her lungs the moment her chest made contact with hard wood. Togane had suddenly bent her over a wooden dresser, his hand keeping her in place by pressing down hard at the back of her neck.

Togane hums appreciatively at the sight of the younger woman in such a vulnerable position. He starts tracing over the lace applique of Kougami’s dress, smirking as he feels her body give out small tremors at his touch– He had requested that they sent her to him wearing white. They charged extra, of course, but it was a small price to pay to sate his hunger.

He had chosen one of the most expensive outfits the brothel had in their selection, a white negligee that was so short it barely covered her buttocks and white thigh-high stockings. The translucent fabric draped against her torso was just as revealing, showing off her lacy panties and the red and purple marks he’d left imprinted on her fair skin a few nights ago. He frowned, noting that some of the older ones he made were already fading.

It was time to make new ones.

The older man started rubbing her neck with his thumb and fingers, in a soothing manner. He lowered his mouth to start peppering her shoulder blades with opened mouth kisses, while his free hand slithered at the back of her thighs and caressed the area in an up-and-down motion before coming to rest a few inches below her ass.

The actions were seemingly gentle, but Kougami knew better than to expect kindness from her client.

Kougami was barely able to stop herself from crying out when Togane’s nails dug into the  exposed skin at the back of her thigh and dragged them up, drawing blood. He brought his hand to his mouth to lap at his fingers– The taste and smell of blood sent him into a frenzy. He then immediately yanked down her panties.

“Suck,” Togane commanded as he shoved two of his fingers into her mouth impetuously. Kougami gagged at the sensation, but did as instructed. Togane pulled his fingers out slowly, gliding his nails against the roof of her mouth.

With his digits coated in Kougami’s saliva, he used them to penetrate her ass. Kougami bites down from the pain as Togane shoved those calloused fingers of his in and out– Not really trying to prepare her for her comfort but for his own.

Her fingers gripped the edge of the dresser, as she furrowed her brows in concentration, trying to mentally prepare herself for the punishment she was about to endure.

After a while Kougami began to hope that this might be the full extent of it tonight, but just as she thought that Togane pulled his fingers out. He grabbed a small pillbox from the drawer of his bedside and took out two blue tablets.

He put them between his thumb and fingers– The same ones he used to penetrate her, and shoved them in her mouth. She retched, but he held her jaw closed with his other hand.

“Shh, swallow like a good girl. Don’t you like the taste of your own ass?”

Kougami struggled beneath him, weakly trying to push his arms away– When she wouldn’t swallow, he clasped his free fingers over her nose. Robbed of her breath, Kougami used what strength she could muster just to give herself breathing room by kicking her legs and heaving her torso. But it wasn’t working, she was choking.

He grinned menacingly, a guttural, sinister laugh heard amidst the sound of her own useless thrashing.

Eventually, she swallowed and he let her go. The taste of her bile and the bitter medicine lingered on her tongue– She wanted to vomit it out, but she was afraid if she did she’d have to endure that all over again.

As she heaved, rasping for breath, her arms shook trying to hold herself up. Togane shoved her aside and she fell– A shaking mess.

Togane pulled her up by the arm and dragged her to the bed. He propped her knees up so that he had easy access to her ass. He lingered in that position then opened his watch, counting the seconds.

“You think you’re above all this, don’t you?” He said dismissively. “It’s all you’re holding on to, I’m sure. But you’re just a whore. You like being fucked, it doesn’t matter who by or how. No matter how much you struggle, you like everything I’m doing to you.”

“No…”

Togane looked down at her. She was limp, weak and battered, but in her eyes were signs that she seemed to be in some faraway place, rejecting him.

“No, I don’t,” She said flatly. No, she didn’t want this– Everything that happened to her, she fought against, and that was her solace. Togane knew that, and he smiled.

He groped her ass harshly and pulled the cheeks apart, spreading her hole open. Kougami flinched. Her eyes snapped wide open at the sensation.

“What’s wrong?” He taunted, “Did you like that?”

Kougami gritted her teeth. It was an aphrodisiac. He’d fed her stimulants.

“No.”

Togane slapped her ass and she twitched– She could feel it working her body. Her skin tinged with a strange charge, like nerves that laid dormant had suddenly been asked to be watchful of any stimulus coming their way.

Her body was cold and aching moments ago, but she felt herself getting warmer, while her breath grew shorter. He slapped her ass again and this time she felt herself clench. He then grabbed her ass and pressed his fingers against her entrance noting how much softer it had gone, and Kougami whimpered.

He pushed something hard against the pursed tissue, and Kougami shuddered at the intrusion. “The drugs act fast, but usually you only take one.” He said matter-of-factly. “Two should be fine for how long and how hard we’re going to do this. I want you to show me what you really are.”

He was going to rob her of her pain.

“Ah!!” Kougami cried as he shoved himself into her. She could feel that some of her skin must’ve torn, but her brain addled the drugs and argued over which of them knew the appropriate reaction.

“Mmn–!” Togane pinched her nipples and pulled as he thrusted. “You’re getting taut,” He whispered.

Tears threatened to fall as Kougami felt the last sliver of dignity slowly slipping away.

It was the drugs. It was the drugs.

He pounded harder and harder into her and Kougami panted– Fighting the urge to moan. She bit down on her lip to dissuade her voice and she felt her teeth puncturing the skin. Her knees felt weak while her legs shook. She pulled the sheets closer to her face as if trying to hide. “Come now, don’t be shy and say that you like it.” Upon hearing those words, she bit her lip harder and drew blood.

Togane grabbed her crotch and finally elicited the cry he was waiting for. “Ahh…!”

“Say it,” He chided her as he massaged it roughly, “Say that you’re just a whore.”

With every bit of willpower she had, Kougami threw her head up against his chin. Togane grunted in pain. It had hurt her head too, but she wanted to be distracted from the forced pleasure.

Togane rubbed his chin and tasted a hint of blood in his mouth. He must’ve bit his lip.

His face has lost the unsettling composure and he glared down at the girl. He drew his hand back and struck her with a backhand. “Filthy whore, say it!”

Kougami remained silent.

Togane turned her over and thrusted harder and faster into her. Kougami moaned at each beat, she could feel her body twitching, her pelvis wanting to draw itself closer to him.

She clamped her hands over her mouth, but he pried them off and gave her another backhanded slap. “Say it!” he bit. Kougami shook her head, grunting in an attempt not to moan.

To add insult to injury, he punched her across the jaw, while thrusting into her. “Say it.” He drew his hand back and punched her again. “Say it!” He punched her harder. “Say it!” He roared.

Kougami shut her eyes and threw her mind into the dark. Somewhere there, she searched for something to hold on to before she broke.

She found…the scent of cigarettes mixed with coffee. And the sound of two girls bickering, as a blonde man laughed.

“…I-I’m a whore.” She said, in a broken whisper.

“I’m a whore,” She said again and the thrusting ebbed to a stop. Togane’s hand in the air was ready to come down on her again– But it didn’t. And he laughed. He took out a scanner and went over her. He laughed.

“98. You won’t last long.”

He pulled out and Kougami shivered. He sat up and loomed over her. He held his dick and tapped it on her cheek. “Go on and finish me off. You like the taste of your own ass, don’t you?”

Kougami looked up at him then past him, to the distant ceiling. She closed her eyes and the ceiling was different. It was the one in that small backroom without windows.

She then took his dick in her hands and put it in her mouth.

January 15, 2109 [09:23 PM]

The rain fell in a manner that the city looked down on its mirror image. A pair of sturdy looking dress shoes disrupted the reflections, stomping hurriedly against the pavement.

Akane had parked his motorcycle a few blocks down– It was his first day on the job and he was called in a lot earlier than intended. He’d barely stepped into the building when he was instructed to go to a designated area for duty.

He held his arm over his head, cursing himself for not thinking to bring an umbrella– He’d show up on the scene drenched. Not a good first impression.

His wrist watch pinged as he arrived at his destination, and he squinted at the scenery searching for his co-workers. In a small crowd by a paddy wagon, a brunette woman with a beauty mark under her left eye beckoned Akane towards her. He looked both ways before crossing the street and ran towards her.

“Uhm—! excuse me! Are you…Inspector Aoyanagi?” Akane panted, catching his breath.

“Yep, that’s me. Are you okay? You’re the newbie right?”

Akane stood with his feet together and gave a salute. “Yes. My name is Tsunemori Akane. I’ve been assigned to the CID as of today.”

Aoyanagi laughed a little, bemused at his earnest demeanor. “Rotten luck for a first day. The CID is kind of short staffed, so you’re hitting the ground running.”

Akane blinked nervously, forgetting his hand was still holding the salute.

Another woman in the group with Inspector Aoyanagi held a portion of her umbrella over Akane. “Inspector Tsunemori, that’s Enforcer Torii Tsubasa.” Aoyanagi gestured to her, “These are enforcers Kozuki Ryogo, Shinjo Kaname, and Amari Hina.”

“He-llo, Tsunemori-kun!” Hina beams before anyone else could speak. “The boys on our team may look a little intimidating, but don’t worry you can just blast ‘em if they scare you!”

“H-hey….” Shinjo grunted.

Akane’s eyes widened in shock, “B-blast?!”

Aoyanagi sighed and turned to the set up behind her. “Don’t worry, Inspector Tsunemori, it’s your first day, so you probably won’t have to ‘blast’ anyone just yet.” she said as she tossed a CID coat to Akane. “Just watch us work and keep your distance if that makes things easier. There was a high area stress level alert, but we’re not sure who the individuals are, though there seems to be more than–”

Her sentence is cut short with a scream from the distance. Suddenly there seemed to be a quietly growing thrum of confusion and panic.

Their wrist watches all go off in a chorus of alert beeping and Aoyanagi answers a call on her watch. “Inspector Shisui?”

“Inspector Aoyanagi, you’ve all been given new orders. The area stress level has spiked in the area you’re in. It’s currently at level two and still climbing. Drones are currently being sent in to contain the area. We are en route to you.”

“What, Shisui–” before she could ask more questions, the line was cut.

Scanning the message they all received, Torii skimmed it and reported it to her superior. “We’ve been instructed to use the Dominators if necessary. We’re closest right now, so we’ve been instructed to find the source of the stress and take care of it.”

Aoyanagi clicked her tongue as the carrier drone opened up and pushed their Dominators out. “Sorry, Inspector. Looks like you really might have to blast some people.”

Aoyanagi took out her Dominator, as did the enforcers in their company. When Akane took the Dominator in his hands, Aoyanagi explained the mechanics to him. The computerized voice and Aoyanagi’s overlapped, and he felt so frazzled he worried he would trip if he tried to walk.

“…nforcers but only if necessary. Tsunemori, did you get all that?” her voice said, coming into focus. Akane weakly nodded. Aoyanagi gave an apologetic smile.

“Kozuki, Shinjo, we’ll go left at the road up ahead. Tsunemori, Torii, Amari, you go right. The source seems to be somewhere along that block. If a person or machine is causing it, use the Dominator. If it’s something else, report to us before taking action.”

Akane pushed his feet to run as the rain continued to pelt down, the umbrellas left by the paddy wagon. When they arrived at the end of the road, and Aoyanagi and the two enforcers split up from their group– Akane felt weak-kneed and nervous.

He was sure, it was his subordinates who were leading him.

 

January 15, 2109 [09:38 PM]

Togane wiped himself clean as Kougami vomited. His cum and her puke and whatever drugs and fluids that had mixed in her stomach found itself on his sheets and partially on her gown. Togane scrunched his nose, mildly bothered, but too high on his success to be angry.

He took his scanner out one more time. It flashed 99. She just needed one little push. Togane thought whether he wanted it done tonight.

He smiled and shook his head. Let her stew on hope a bit more. He would break her next time. “Don’t think I feel like taking you back tonight, your caretaker can do that,” He said, opening his watch to make the call and looking out of his window at the street below. The people had crowded around the bust memorial of his mother. There seemed to be some kind of commotion.

He paused.

He called the front desk of the building. “M-Mr. Togane?” a shaken voice said. “What’s going on?” Togane asked, “Is something wrong out there?”

“There seems to be…uhm… a bit of vandalism on Dr. Misako’s memorial….”

“What?!” He bit back enraged. He ended the call and slipped on pants and a dress shirt, not even bothering to close it up. He regarded Kougami with a scowl, knowing if he left her she might run around and cause a scene. “Come on, then!” he growled as he grabbed her by the wrist and stormed out.

In the elevator, Togane tapped his foot impatiently– Kougami was dazed and silent, thinking only of her return.

As they approached the ground floor, they heard the muffled sound of people clamoring mixed with distant screams. As the elevator door opened, the full volume met them accompanied by the sight of people rushing into the building and away from the entrance. Outside, a small crowd of people melded while gawkers, screamers and runners hid the street from their view.

They ran out so fast that when Togane turned sharply to look at Togane Misako’s bust, Kougami fell to the ground losing her balance.

Kougami rubbed her elbows and looked up to see Togane staring open-mouthed a few feet ahead and above him, a harrowed expression frozen on his face.

Kougami turned to see what he was looking at and she felt her blood go cold. The world went silent.

On the stone memorial, a hologram seemed to project a gross, macabre display of a carcass cast in a pale blue light. Upon closer inspection, one came to realize that it wasn’t a hologram at all. Body parts roughly cut into pieces were mounted on golden spokes giving Togane Misako a halo of rot. The stone woman smiled peacefully, baring the carcass’ breasts and spreading her legs open for the spectator as if they were her own. ‘Paving The Way For Better Healthcare’ the display flashed ironically above the madonna of death.

“Sasayama….?”

January 06, 2109 [03:31 AM]

“Can I ask you something?” Sasayama starts.

Kougami looked up at her friend inquisitively.

Kougami was reading a book. Sasayama couldn’t keep up with most of the books her friend read, but she was happy to see her returning to her old habits amidst the chaos in her life.

“Uh, sure.” she replied.

“You were an inspector, right? Were you a good one?”

“There’s something kind of rude in that question.”

“No okay, look,” Sasayama says, scooting closer to Kougami and sitting comfortably one leg folded up. “There’s been these girls missing lately, have you heard?” “No, I haven’t.” Kougami says, her ears perking up at the news.

Sasayama smiles inwardly, happy to see a faint flicker of life in her friend’s eyes. “There have been some latent criminal working girls who’ve gone missing the past few months. The rumors have been going around, and Shion and I were talking about it. People think that it’s malfunctioning bracelets, and they’ve been escaping. Might be true for one or two of them, but five have gone missing in the past four months alone.”

“That is strange.” Kougami agrees.

Sasayama wiggles her eyebrows. “Alright, these girls have nothing in common other than they’re latent criminals and they’re working girls. The other girls who work with some of them mentioned their missing coworker to have had a client at some point who introduced himself as ‘Prince’. What do you think about that?”

“Well my first impression would be that the girls are being chosen because their disappearance is easily explainable. The fact that they’re disappearing and not found dead tells me it’s likely that if the disappearances aren’t what they seem, they are either being kept prisoner, or that they are experienced killers who are doing something specific to dispose of the body.”

“Right!” Sasayama smiled, “and the prince guy?”

Kougami raised her brow, “That title can mean anything. It could just be someone trying to sell themselves off as extravagant, or it could be a nickname, or a code that people use within a group. The last one might be more likely, it would raise less suspicion and it’d be easier to make these girls disappear if people worked together.”

“Exactly! Man, I could be a detective too!” Sasayama grinned, pumping her fist in the air excitedly, “Alright! So I thought maybe this Prince guy wasn’t working alone. There might be a bunch of ‘em, but also I thought it’d make more sense if it was just two of them.”

“Why?”

“The group code name only works well as a theory if the business wasn’t so small. Places like this aren’t very common so you often see the same guys over and over again, so if a bunch of different people used the same schtick, the higher ups might pick up on it and worry. Besides if the group was big, the girl would warn the others. Gang bangs get pretty rough, and our employers don’t want to be underpaid. Two guys though? Not so bad. Especially if she only has sex with one of them anyway.”

Kougami winced and nodded along. “Still” she said, “this is all speculation based on the premise that it’s the prince guy who’s behind it.”

Sasayama’s grin turned into a smirk. “Here’s the thing. A few nights ago, I think I saw him. The Prince guy. He was talking to one of the working girls, sweet little Kaho–she’s so cute! Anyway, I think of her as my little sister, and I got a bit antsy when I heard him introduce himself that way so…I kinda tailed him that night.”

Kougami frowned in disbelief. “You didn’t follow him out of the club–”

“Only for a second!” Sasayama interrupted. “The alarm on my bracelet only goes off if I step five meters out of the building without purchase. I followed him out quietly and I heard him taking a call from someone named Makishima.”

“Makishima…?” Kougami said with a frown.

“He talked about ‘finding the next girl in this club’ and ‘to get the new materials ready.’ It sounded super sketchy.”

“Sasayama, this sounds pretty serious. Have you told the employers about this?”

Sasayama scoffed. “They won’t listen to me without proof, I’m just a latent criminal! They’ll think I’m trying to start a fuss so that I’ll get a break or something. But hey, tomorrow night I’m thinking I might get that guy to buy me and get some evidence on him, y’know? Like undercover and whatever.”

Kougami shook her head at her friend. “Sasayama, don’t, that’s stupid. You could get killed.”

“Look the way I see it none of these girls saw it coming. Also it’d be my first night with him, he’d be prime suspect, and he aint that stupid. I just have to be careful and not get caught.”

Kougami rolled her eyes and put her book away as she back down under the covers. “Don’t do it. It’s dangerous and it’s only a theory. If it’s got any back to it, report it to your employers and have them contact the MWPSB to look into it.”

“Oh, come on!” Sasayama whined, “I thought you’d be thrilled to do some crime-fighting from in here!”

“I’d be thrilled to get some sleep.” Kougami groaned. “You should too.”

Sasayama frowned. “Fine.” she said.

She turned off the lights and snuck under the covers with her friend.

 

 

January 15, 2109 [09:47 PM]

The further they went, the more erratic the crowd seemed to be which meant they were probably going the right way.

Some people screamed as they ran past, most seeming to have a horrified and panicked appearance. From behind them and from farther up ahead, Akane noticed more drones being dispatched, herding the people together and closing the roads. As he reached a tall building the crowd seemed to grow still.

He realized that it was because he’d found the cause of the panic. Those who hadn’t run had formed a ring of frightened spectators. In the center of the ring stood a statue adorned with the parts of a grotesquely real corpse.

A black haired man fell to his knees in front of the figure and let out a blood curdling scream. Before Hina or Torii could even point their Dominators at him, a man in uniform tackled him and injected something into his neck.

“Stop!! What are you doing?!” Akane shouted as he approached, lifting his Dominator up and aiming at him, the crosshair jumping straight to the spectator behind him flashing a CC of 74. Were his hands too shaky? 

“I’m an employee under this man and he’s under a lot of stress. I need to take him somewhere and calm him down!”

As he said this, the black haired man seemed to slack and lose consciousness. “Wait–” Akane protested, but the man in uniform slung the black haired man over his shoulder, and took off– Akane lost him in the crowd.

There was so much chaos that Akane was at a loss on what to do. Not only had he not been briefed on the case, he hadn’t been oriented with the protocols for such a situation.

“Kougami?!” A familiar voice called.

Akane searched the crowd for Aoyanagi. ‘Kougami…?’ He wondered, the name seeming familiar– He then spotted her on the opposite side of the crowd, she must’ve come from the other side of the building.

“Kougami, it’s you isn’t it?!” Aoyanagi called louder. Akane followed her eyes to a woman in a white negligee and a metal bracelet around her wrist walking trance-like towards the figure. The woman was muttering to herself, her face frozen in horror.

“Sa…Sasayama…?”

Aoyanagi rushed closer to the woman and reached for her. “Kougami, get away from that, it’s–”

The woman let out a shrill, frantic scream upon contact and shoved Aoyanagi away.

Aoyanagi fell to the floor, dropping her Dominator– She hurriedly stood up and began searching around for it.

She spotted it near Kougami’s bare feet. Kougami was swaying, wide-eyed and unblinking– Scanning the crowd and hyperventilating, repeating the words, “She’s dead…she’s dead….” over and over again.

“Kougami, calm down…” Aoyanagi cooed, edging closer.

Akane scanned the crowd to ask the enforcers for help, but they were all either rounding up civilians or watching the scene unfold with a confused look on their faces.

Kougami’s foot brushed at the Dominator and she snapped her face towards it. She eyed it for a moment and turned her attention to Aoyanagi. Aoyanagi stopped in her tracks and calculated if she would be able to grab the Dominator before Kougami could react– Taking her chances, she reached for it and Kougami lunged at her, pinning her down.

Kougami screamed incoherently, “You didn’t stop them!! She’s dead because you didn’t stop them!!” Aoyanagi struggled against her, but she was too strong in her manic rage.

She spotted Akane in the crowd and yelled to him, “Tsunemori, shoot her!! Her Psychopass is probably climbing fast, shoot her before it hits 300!!”

Akane’s hands shook, his arms couldn’t seem to move as he slowly recognized the woman. She was as an upperclassman he looked up to in school– She had planned to join the CID.

‘Shoot her? But she was…a victim here, wasn’t she?’

Aoyanagi spotted an opening and tried to push Kougami off, but Kougami went for Aoyanagi’s throat and tried to strangle her. Aoyanagi hooked her fingers under Kougami’s palms and tried to alleviate the pressure, but it wasn’t going well– Kougami’s grip tightened as she struggled.

“Tsu…ne…mori…!!!” She choked.

Akane in a dazed panic, lifted the Dominator and aimed– It was at 278 and climbing. “No!!!!” He screamed as he pulled the trigger.

There was a sound and a flash.

Kougami has collapsed.

Akane’s knees gave in beneath him and he stared, tears threatening to spill over. The number had flashed at 298 before he shot.

“Why…why was she….?”

Aoyanagi pushed Kougami off her. She frowned at the metal bracelet on her wrist as she caught her breath. She picked up her Dominator and assessed the panicked crowd.

When she turned to look for Akane, she saw him on the ground staring blankly.

“Get up Tsunemori” she instructed with a sigh. Akane blinked up at her, and she gestured to his Dominator. “Sorry, but our job’s not finished yet.”


	4. We Carry Our Chains

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The writing within is not reflective of, encouraging nor discouraging any particular moral stand or value. It is meant to be artistic and experiential and open to interpretation and considered thoughtfully, reflected upon. A.K.A. I’m not telling you what to think or do reader, I’m telling you a fucking story 
> 
> Kogomi:  
> Matrashima: in the canon this is like the missing days of jesus lmao  
> Kamuimi: "I can make it straight for you." (Matrashima, 2017)

January 15, 2110 [11:17 PM]

Ginoza exited the club through the service door at the back.

There were conveniently no cameras monitoring this area-- At first Ginoza thought this was a security risk, although there was one right inside the door.

Now that he was here to meet his friends without being seen, he realized that it might’ve been purposefully unmonitored. Even with the best hackers, anything that happened here would be unseen by Sybil’s eyes. He felt a sense of gratitude for the moment, but knew later it would be dread.

“Ginoza-kun,” A voice called.

Ginoza turned to find Aoyanagi and a small brunette man standing a little further in the shadow of the alleyway.

“How is she?” Aoyanagi asked.

“She’s resting. She was shot at the base of her spine so she won't be getting up anytime soon.” His face softened. “It’s been a while, I’m sorry we had to see each other again under these circumstances. Who is this?”

“This is our new recruit, Inspector Tsunemori Akane. Tsunemori-kun, this is Inspector Ginoza Nobuchika.”

Akane politely bowed to the tall man, “Senpai, we’re actually acquainted.”

Ginoza and Aoyanagi exchanged a confused look. “Uhm, sorry,” Ginoza started, “I don't seem to remember you. How are we--”

“I went to Nitto Academy as well. I saw you sometimes when I spoke with Kougami-sempai.”

At the mention of her name, the air grew heavy. Akane could not help but avert his eyes. “I’m sorry about shooting her.”

“You did so under my orders, don’t blame yourself,” Aoyanagi comforted. “Speaking of, what happened there, Ginoza-kun? What is Kougami doing being an escort? And she’s a latent criminal too!”

Ginoza’s brows came together, his expression telling them that he didn’t want to share the story, but he would.

“Aoyanagi-san, do you remember my father and the case he wanted to pursue before he went missing?”

Aoyanagi nodded.

“He didn’t tell me, but I found some notes on the case and it turns out he actually talked Kou into doing an undercover operation off the books. Apparently Kougami resigned as an inspector to monitor this place, and reported a lot of suspicious activity, but it was never anything tangible and provable. So she ended up staying on until she got caught.”

“That’s horrible,” Akane muttered under his breath--the guilt of shooting her quieting his voice.

“She’s currently under the patronage of an abusive customer, and her Psychopass has gone up.”

“How can you be serving someone like that? That can't be legal.” Aoyanagi interjected.

“It shouldn’t be. Sexual sadists have been known to be permitted to purchase escort services from sexual masochists without damaging their hues, so there is a consent form. On record, Kougami has signed over consent for such services...but… I can't imagine…”

“That is strange. Are the employees scanned?” Akane asked.

“Every day before coming in. Other than latent criminal escorts, everyone seems to be clear. The work is very compartmentalized, even I’m not informed of anything outside my duties. They perform separate, seemingly inconsequential tasks, not knowing they culminate into a crime--assuming it really is one. Even I’m beginning to wonder… Aside from Kougami’s purchase, everything honestly seems legal.”

“Ginoza-senpai...uhm, Ginoza-san. How was it that you came to work on this case too?”

“I requested it under the premise of investigating my father’s disappearance and the death of the inspector monitoring him. Unfortunately, no one seems to know anything. He really may have just escaped.”

“Escaped?”

“My father is an enforcer.”

There was a long drawn-out silence. It was a lot of information to take in for Akane, and he felt like he had gotten caught in the tangle of it. He took a slow, deep breath and tried to calm himself.

“You have your work cut out for you,” Aoyanagi finally said, closing the matter. “I’m sorry, but we might have to complicate your work further.”

“What is it?”

“There’s been a news ban on the matter to avoid stress levels rising but… Where we found Kou, there was a corpse on display. It seemed to be someone Kougami knew. A...uhm...Sasayama?”

Ginoza’s eyes widened, suddenly it all fell into place. “So...It wasn't her abuser who’d finally pushed her over the edge. It was this.”

Akane and Aoyanagi looked to each other expecting an explanation, but neither had one.

“Sasayama was Kougami’s friend,” Ginoza explained, “They were very close. Sasayama may have been the reason as to why Kougami was able to remain clear until now. She was a registered latent criminal escort. All information on her must be on record, easy for you to access.”

“I see. Thank you. If we could, we’d like to interview her co-workers someday.”

“I’m sure our employers won't refuse. As far as I can tell, they advocate transparency with the system.”

She smiled apologetically, “We can't return the favor. Details on the case are classified.”

“I’ll tell the girls that Sasayama was killed. That should be enough. Kougami will know not to share delicate information with them.”

 

 

January 19, 2110 [09:47 PM]

Kougami took a deep breath before opening the door, and walked into their empty room for the first time since the incident.

She had been bedridden for a few days after being shot by the dominator. When she’d opened her eyes for the first time since she was paralyzed, she was too dazed to remember what had happened.

She later overheard them discussing drugs in her system, trying to bring down her crime coefficient, and she figured that was why she was drawing a blank.

Now, her blood was clean but her mind was muddled-- Her memories assaulted her silently, one by one.

The last night she spent with Togane, Sasayama’s desecrated corpse on display, strangling Aoyanagi, and a familiar man somewhere in the crowd pointing a dominator at her.

She shook the thoughts away, and looked around-- Sasayama’s things would be taken away soon. She’d been borrowing clothes from her, and she had to look over which ones she needed to keep. She opened the drawer to Sasayama’s dresser and saw an open pack of Spinel cigarettes and a lighter.

She smiled and held the pack in her hands. Sasayama had offered her a smoke once, when she was still just a waitress—a detective—working in the club and life was simple. 

She took out a cigarette and lit it. She sipped in the smoke and choked.

She felt her eyes sting and water, her lungs heaving, unaccustomed to the sensation. She stifled a laugh. She swallowed a sob. She collapsed to the floor.

They’d asked her to move to another room with the other girls, but she insisted that she wanted to stay in this room, not wanting to deny her memories of her dear friend.

Now that she was in that room, confronting the familiar scents and sights that reminded her of her, it was almost too much to bear. She held in the tears, afraid that she would unravel permanently if she let herself cry.

She’d already become a latent criminal. She was never going to be a detective again. She didn’t have it in her anymore, neither the energy nor the state of mind.

‘But I want justice’ she thought, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Sasayama…” she choked, “Deserves justice!”

She threw the pack of cigarettes down with a roar. She banged her fists against the drawer and swept away the contents on the counter. A sparse collection of makeup clattered to the floor like rain. She cried out, kicking it, staring at her emaciated reflection on the mirror. The bruises were fading and she slammed the marks against the edge. She pulled out the drawers and threw them across the room, sending the contents flying around and falling onto the floor.

 She banged her fists against the mirror. Twice. Thrice. She grunted, she cried.

She slid down against the cold surface with a tired whimper. Her pursuit of justice led her to this place, and it had betrayed her with Sasayama’s death. Yet even then, it was what she sought.

She cried like that, leaning against her reflection. Her friend’s effects littered around her like headstones on a graveyard. One particular effect caught her eye. An overturned box she’d never seen before.

She stared at it for a moment, gathering herself. She crawled to it, and sat on her heels as she turned it over. The words ‘For Detective Kougami’ were scrawled on the cover in Sasayama’s messy writing, a little heart signed playfully at one corner.

There was a small plastic latch on one side. She opened it and found a pile of notes inside. They were written in longhand on tissue, post-its, and torn-out notebook pages.

The notes on tissue and post-its seemed to have the date, time and details of her being purchased by a client named “Prince” whereas the notebook pages seemed to have ‘reports’ written on them.

Kougami went through them chronologically. The earliest being on January 7 at 4:00 am.

‘Went to a small but pretty and old-fashioned looking hotel room. He was really polite and smart sounding. If my amateur assessment is worth anything, I think he’s got a white-collar job or something. He had a dress laid out on the bed and asked me to put it on. It was cream and princess-like. I expected him to make me do kinky shit while wearing it, but he just asked me to read books with him. I kept thinking it was foreplay and tried to get right to it, but he kept telling me princesses don’t talk so crudely and I didn’t want to upset him so I just went with it. After a few hours reading in bed, I got so tired I fell asleep. When I woke up, our time was up. He had me change and took me back to Utopia.’

Included was a crude sketch of the dress and the man named ‘Prince’ that almost made her laugh. The dress was a series of triangles and squiggles, each area labeled. Ruffles, white. Lace, cream. Brown hair. Beauty mark under left eye.

 The next note was from the day after, January 9. Again at 4:00 am.

‘Different room, still same kind of decor. It’s not a holo room, although it would be cheaper so this man must have money. It seems he was happy with my services and asked for me again. This time he asked me to sit on a chair with my ankles folded on each other. He took pictures asking me to turn my head to the left or right and stuff. We read some more and he talked about the stories. He sounded well-educated about it, so maybe he teaches at a school or studying in one. It could just be a hobby, though. Like how Kougami knows a lot. Maybe he’s just a perv and those were just rumors?’

The next note was for the next day again. Same time.

Kougami remembered this day. She’d come home from Togane’s around 3 am, and Sasayama wasn’t back yet. She’d been seeing the Prince without telling her anything.

‘Today was like last night. A different room again, still similar decor, but this was a little farther out of town so we didn’t have much time together. On the drive there, he told me I was very pretty and asked if I was sad in my tower. I told him that I was happy. There was something creepy about the way he said it and I wondered if he was also delusional. We took pictures and read. Since we didn’t read long, I didn’t feel very sleepy. I heard him answer a call from the hotel telephone. All he said was ‘hello?’ ‘yes’ ‘no’ and ‘I’m not sure what I want to do yet’ before putting it down. When our time ran out, he had me change and we went back.’

Included were a list of things she noticed were the same in all the rooms. Floral print curtains. A European style chair. A mirror. A bathroom. The dress was always ready before they got there.

The next day again.

‘I think he plans to buy me every night, which definitely means he has a lot of money. This was a hotel very close by. He took weirder pictures tonight. He took some while I was dressing and zoomed in to specific parts of me. My face. My shoulder. My back. My legs. He had me read to him while he rested his head against my shoulder. This time we had a lot of time, so we read a lot. I was tired so I laid down, and he let me sleep. I wasn’t actually asleep, and later I heard a knock on the door. He went to answer it and I heard the following:

Prince: Makishima-san, what a surprise to see you here.

Makishima: Is that her?

Prince: Yes. She’s pretty. She’s not very smart, but she’s sharp. She reads well.

Makishima: She seems tired. Are you having fun?

Prince: Yes, a lot. Any particular reason you stopped by?

Makishima: I wanted to meet her. I rarely see them before you’re done.

Prince: I see. Sorry but not tonight. Maybe tomorrow?

Makishima: I’ll be seeing someone else tomorrow, so maybe some other time.

Price: Alright. Goodnight.

Makishima: (He laughs) Not even a cup of tea first?

Price: (He laughs too) No. I’m paying for her time, I want to get a few pictures of her sleeping.

He took a few pictures, woke me up, then took me back.’

The next note for the next day again.

‘I’ve confirmed that at the very least he is a perv. He didn’t touch me, but’ and these words were crossed out and she began again.

‘I realized I got more if I pretended to sleep and tried it again tonight. It was a bit risky since I did it quite early, and he seemed a bit upset, but when I told him I wasn’t used to getting to read he let it slide. He sat beside me as I pretended to sleep.

For a long time he didn’t move, and I was worried I’d really fall asleep if this kept going. After a while, he stood up and paced. Then I heard him open a drawer and go through something in what may have been a bag. It sounded far enough, and I could feel that the lights were off. I cracked one eye open slowly to peek, and I saw him sitting by the bathroom door. Under the crack of light, he looked through a photo album of some kind. I couldn’t tell because he was a little far, but he seemed to be smiling. I could tell that after a while, he’d unzipped his pants and began to masturbate. I watched until he came. He examined his cum in the mild light for a long moment before wiping it off and going to the bathroom to wash it.

When he exited the bathroom, he stood still, his back turned to the light. He was about to turn to me and I closed my eyes again. I didn’t hear him move but I could feel his face was close to mine for a long while. I heard him whisper something like ‘You’re a very beautiful princess’. I could imagine him looking at me the way he was looking at his hand in the light. I’m writing this in heavy detail because I don’t really understand his actions, but there is something about it that feels really telling. I admit, I was a little scared then. I think something really bad is in that photobook. I’ll look for it next time.’

Kougami’s chest tightened as she noted the date of the next note. January 13. Her last entry. The last day anyone had seen her.

‘Tonight everything fell into place. When we went upstairs, we did the usual, except this time he received a call in the middle of one of our stories (Probably Makishima). He excused himself, and answered the phone. He said ‘hello’ and then ‘what?’ There was a long pause, so the caller on the other end must’ve been saying a lot. ‘That sounds interesting. What’s his na—’ He looked back at me before finishing his sentence. I kept my eyes on the book pretending to be too engrossed to notice the call. ‘Wait, I’ll go outside and talk to you, explain to me there.’ He smiled at me and said ‘Sorry, I have to go outside for a second and talk to a friend.’

‘Can I meet him?’ I asked. He shook his head and said ‘another time’ before putting on his coat and leaving me in the room. I could hear his footsteps outside getting further, and when I couldn’t hear them I got up quickly and checked the cabinets for the bag last night. It wasn’t very hard to find, but I was careful not to move it around so he won’t notice I went through it.

I found the book pretty easily, but what was scary was that he also had what looked like a small toolbox inside and some other story books. I opened the photobook and found pictures of girls dressed like I was, labelled ‘Princess 1’ and ‘Day 1’ and etc. On day 10 of each princess, the pictures were disgusting. They were photos of the girls being cut up, and parts dissected and measured. He’d seemed to inject substances into their skin, or coated it. It noted dates on the different pictures, their skin had turned green and pallid and their bodies looked disfigured, cut into pieces and put into strange positions. The pictures had side notes about how it was done and what chemicals were used. Before I could finish, I heard footsteps in the hallway again. I quickly hid all his things and quietly fixed the closet and bed and returned to my spot. He didn’t seem to notice. I need to get some of those photos next time. Hopefully it’s enough proof.’

 Kougami’s hands shook reading her friends last words.

 She was only on day 6. She should’ve had time.

 She closed the box and hid it under her bed.

 

 

January 20, 2110 [05:27 PM]

“I see, that does sound like a complicated situation. I appreciate that you called to reschedule with me, Ginoza-san. However, precisely because it sounds quite stressful, I do not recommend you delay our next appointment too much.”

He ended the call. He was about to dial another for a Kanehara Yuji but was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Come in.”

A woman opened the door by a crack, and peeked in. “Mukojima-sensei, a Shisui Mizue is here to see you,” She says.

“Ah, let her in,” He smiled.

Shisui walked into the room, her hands politely folded in front of her as she bowed. “Mukojima-sensei, I’m sorry for coming by without an appointment.”

“It’s quite alright,” He said, waving away the other woman at the door. The woman politely excused herself, closing the door behind her.

“Mizue, you only need to refer to me as that when I’m your therapist. Seeing as I no longer am, Riku is fine.”

Shisui blushed slightly and frowned at him. “I don’t pay for your services, but you still provide me with therapy… I would say you’re still my therapist,” She muttered, looking away.

He walked to her and held her face in his hands. “I’m only telling you not to pay me, so that I can’t legally be considered your therapist. It’s against our code of ethics to date our patients.”

He felt her cheeks grow warmer against his palm. “So, why did you come to see me? For therapy or…” he said, smiling.

Shisu brushes his hands off her face in a panic, “Th-therapy! Work--work is getting...kind of...stressful.”

“Oh.” he said with a playful pout. Shisui looked up at him, her brows furrowed in guilt. Mukojima laughed. “I’m kidding of course. Please, sit down. Let’s talk~”

Mukojima prepared two cups of black tea, and sat across from Shisui by the fireplace after he handed her a warm cup.

“So, what happened at work?” He asked. She took a slow sip of tea before starting.

“There’s been some terrible murders lately, we’ve found a few desecrated corpses...but since there’s a news ban, the public doesn’t know about it.”

Sensing there was more, he waited for her to continue.

When she finally spoke, her voice was quivering, “I can’t help but feel anxious thinking about how many other crimes might’ve happened that we never knew about. My Psychopass is deteriorating… I’m worried that I’m not doing my job right...Is it wrong for me to be scared? Am I… Am I failing?”

At that moment, she seemed almost like a scolded child. He held the cup against his mouth, not sure whether it was time to speak as the therapist or as her lover.

He then walked to her, placing both their cups on the table. Taking her hands in his, he decided to speak as the latter.

“Mizue, as a therapist, I would have recommended an intensive therapy program. I haven’t checked your Psycho-pass, but I can tell from the look on your face that you have been checking it yourself, and that it might be at a number where I might have to report it. It’s causing you greater stress to monitor it. It’s an endless cycle...”

Shisui blinked back tears. “...are you going to report me?”

“I’m not your therapist right now. I think that talking to someone, being told that you are doing okay, and feeling that you are not alone is all you need...and you are doing okay. You are not alone. I’m here.” He kissed her fingertips, and her knuckles, then her cheek, then her eye. He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

Her eyes watched his fingers undo his necktie, and closed them as he blindfolded her with it. The world went dark. Underneath the silken cloth was her cheeks flushed scarlet.

He thumbed her lips gently and leaned in close to whisper to her ear.

“Do you like this, Mizue?” His warm breath tickled her ear and she responded  with a single nod, lips parting in anticipation.

“When everything is engulfed in darkness, doesn’t it make things more exciting?” He again asked her with an ever playful lilt.

Slowly, Shisui felt her arms being pinned above her head as she was lowered into the couch. She felt him slide in between her thighs-- Hands roaming all over her body as she arched with every touch he left.

“I promise to make you feel good,” He purred as he dipped his head low to leave a trail of kisses on her toned stomach.

His hands were cold against skin that was heating up, and the gentle kisses elicited a breathless moan from her.

She definitely couldn’t wait, yet, he would tell her, “Be patient, alright?”

“I… I can’t…”

With all the events that had transpired, her impatience--her desire for reprise, for reward, was slowly getting the best of her.

He kissed her hand upon feeling just how much she had been waiting--reassuring her that things would only get better.

Mukojima laid his hands on her thighs, sliding them down in between them and with one fluid motion, he first slipped off her skirt, then her lace underwear, eliciting a moan from her once again.

“You’ve been doing such a good job, Mizue. It’s about time I reward you,” He said, while going down on her.

“Are you going to be good for me?” He gently kneaded the outer side of her thighs as he left kisses on the other side.

Shisui nodded and squirmed under the mercy of his touch. She could feel herself dripping wet and it was time he noticed.

He sucked on her labia and gently took some of its folds between his teeth before slipping his tongue into her cunt.

Shisui mewled and lightly bucked her hips against his mouth-- Wanting more and more. He licked her inner walls, his tongue gliding around inside her. She twitched greedily.

“You know what to do if you want to cum, right?” Another question yet, his tone was as sweet as ever.

“I missed you,” She whimpered.

“Please make me cum,” She begged.

He chuckled at the ‘request’ and once again lapped on her folds, making her thighs quiver. Her orgasm was fast approaching and she bit down hard on her lip as her lover gave her due attention.

He took her clit in between his teeth and roughly sucked. Shisui moaned and her hands found their way onto her lover’s messy hair-- Grabbing a fistful, making sure not to yank on it harshly.

“S-so good… M-more… ” She panted then arched as she felt Mukojima tasting her deeper. Her release was drawing closer and only a little more and…

“Such a good girl. Your body is so honest with me.”

Shisui cried out and Mukojima felt her clench. He loved the way she tasted. The way she sounded once they’re away from everyone’s prying eyes. In here, she can let go and just lose herself.

“I’m…” Her breathing was ragged and her grip on Mukojima’s hair tightened.

“We aren’t done yet,” He told her after wantonly sucking on her cunt.

“Please… I can’t take this anymore,” She whimpered once again as she felt the heat within her core building up-- Threatening to spill at any moment.

“Patience, Mizue.”

Underneath her blindfold, she knew he was giving her that particular smile.

He wanted her unhinged and she would gladly give in.

“R-Riku… P-please…”

But he was far from finished.

 

 

January 24, 2110 [10:02 PM]

“He hasn’t come in a while,” Kagari mumbled.

“Hm?” Hinakawa looked up from the screen of her device to find the older girl sitting upside down on the sofa, her handheld game limply seated on her stomach as she stared up at the floor. “He...who?”

Kagari rolled her eyes, “What’s his name….the tormentor. The asshole. Togane.”

“Now that you mention it…” She thought back and it may be that it had been two weeks or so. She bit the tip of her straw, not drinking any of the milk, doing it more out of idle thought than for any effect. “Do you think...that means he’s done with Kougami-neechan? I-Isn’t that a...a good thing..?”

Kagari’s eyebrows furrowed and she puffed her cheeks. “Not sure. I’m kinda glad but...it also worries me. He stopped coming around the same time Mitsuru--….” And she closed her eyes, not wanting to think about what happened to Sasayama.

They hadn’t told the other girls many details, but they knew she was dead. The man named Prince never came again.

“Shocchi, have you seen Kouchan since that incident?”

Hinakawa shook her head. “I-It’s kind of strange… she must be going out for food at some point...and s-she’s got to work eventually. The management wouldn’t have let her stay o-off the floor for l-long...”

Kagari looked up at Hinakawa’s face and saw that she was frowning at her. “I’m w-worried, Kagari-neesan…”

Kagari raised an eyebrow and smiled at her. She was worried too.

At that moment, the door opened and Kougami walked in-- She was smoking one of Sasayama’s cigarettes.

She was dressed for work, but she wasn’t in her usual white gown. She was wearing a short, blue and black, body-hugging cocktail dress, matching stockings, and a pair of Sasayama’s stiletto heels. It was a jarring change.

“K-Kouchan?!” Kagari was so shocked, she fell headfirst onto the floor.

She massaged her head as she muttered a string of profanities. “Kouchan, wh--what are you wearing?”

Kougami shrugged. “I have to work sometime.”

“A-a-are you okay to work?” Hinakawa stuttered.

“I’m fine. Thanks for asking.” she replied as she pulled up a chair.

Kagari sat up on her knees, about to ask more but her bracelet started beeping. “Ack, wait I gotta go. I got a special client.”

“Special client? Who?” Kougami said, raising an eyebrow at her. Kagari grinned. “It’s a secret~” She said in a sing-song tone.

“Well, be careful.”

“Right, right.”

As Kagari left the room, Kougami sat quietly and smoked her cigarettes. Hinakawa fidgeted in her seat, trying not to stare at her.

“What is it, Hinakawa?”

“K-Kougami-neechan you were...taken here by the CID right?...I th-thought maybe you would go back to them, then….”

Kougami took a long drag off her cigarette, her gaze still fixed on her friend. When she put out the cigarette, Hinakawa felt like she’d seen Sasayama’s ghost in her.

Kougami stared at the ashes, seeing that same ghost. “I’ve got nothing to go back to right now. My place is here.”

The scent of cigarettes lingered in that small room like an afterimage, and Kougami lit another to keep the ghost alive.

 


	5. Locked Inside With Ocean Air

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The writing within is not reflective of, encouraging nor discouraging any particular moral stand or value. It is meant to be artistic and experiential and open to interpretation and considered thoughtfully, reflected upon. A.K.A. I’m not telling you what to think or do reader, I’m telling you a fucking story 
> 
> Kogomi: I didn't do much lol. Sorrymasen  
> Matrashima: I wrote a bunch ya, but Im proud to pick the title. Can you get the meaning behind it? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
> Kamuimi: KAGARI IS SO CUTE WTF

January 25, 2110 [2:03 AM]

“Uhn…! That feels so good!” Kagari moaned. Her hands held her legs apart for him as she rocked her pelvis back and forth-- Massaging Choe’s penis inside her.

He smiled up at the view, his own special treat as she called it. She danced on him, writhing like a snake and touching herself-- Charming him.

He held her hips in a vice-like grip and thrust up into her in a brutally fast pace. Kagari bit her lip, her voice singing in a soft staccato as she felt him moving inside her.

“Ahh, Choe-kun, deeper…! Ahh, aahn, th-there….!”

Her legs tightened around his waist as she felt herself getting close to cumming. Her voice hushed into a whisper and she let her legs go in favor of holding herself up so she wouldn’t fall on his face. Her small, soft breasts swayed to his rhythm as she moved to match him.

Choe slowed down and she shuddered. She cried a bit, wanting to protest, but she knew he liked seeing her squirm.

“What’s wrong?” He asked-- The smile on his face only deepened when she pouted at him.

She rubbed her crotch against him impatiently, but Choe moved along and she couldn’t get much friction.

“I can’t believe….you’re teasing me... When I did this as a special service to you…!” She said, twitching as he continued to move slowly and deliberately.

“I’m not teasing you, this is my thank you.” He smiled, pulled her close to him, and whispered, “Enjoy every second before you come.”

The soft brush of his voice in her hair sent a shiver through her whole body.

“T-Touch my breasts, too,” She purred.

Choe chuckled as he ran his hands down her neck then to her chest, cupping them along the sides and massaging her.

“Ahhh…!” Kagari cried, and breathed low and heavy through her open mouth. “H-harder…!”

He gripped her small frame and pulled her closer, pushing himself deeper into her. Her voice mingled in her breath as she melted in his hands.

The movement, the mannerism, and the sound all responded to Choe, and it made him grind himself more desperately into her. It was an impulse on his part-- Purely instinctive.

Kagari had planned this meticulously. She was an expert and it showed. This was really special service.

She was twitching so hard, she threw her head back moaning-- At the edge of becoming voiceless. She leaned back, massaging her clit and holding one of the hands that massaged her breasts. Just as she was about to cum, Choe could feel himself about to do the same and he pulled out.

He held her up close to him until he was done, and he felt her hot breath on his face. “What, you don’t… wanna cum inside me?” Kagari sounded petulant, almost offended. Choe chuckled.

“It’s bad for business if you get pregnant. Not to mention with my kid,” He smirked, “Or was that your plan?”

Kagari grinned at him. “It’s club policy for the girls to take contraception. We can’t always trust the clients to put on condoms right? ...Assuming they do at all.”

“Good to see you were listening.”

He pulled her aside and she flopped down on the bed as he got up. He took out some disposable towels to clean up and Kagari ogled the view of his bare back.

For his age he was fit and toned-- Handsome too. She was glad that he was the one who took special interest in her and with that thought, she smiled inwardly with pride.

“How is the new girl?” he asked.

Kagari blinked back, surprised at the question. “What’s that, suddenly interested in the lives of your employees?” She mocked.

He turned to her and saw that her expression was sour. “Of course I’m interested, if the employees are unwell, they underperform,” He said with a shrug, wiping himself off.

She turned to her side, facing away from him. “She’s doing okay. Though I can’t say she’s doing well enough to work.”

She’d forgotten for a moment, but the question reawakened her suspicions about whether or not Choe was involved with Kougami getting auctioned off. It was likely, she figured, seeing as he seemed a little too sketchy to be clean. He was likely the one who dealt with most if not all the underground dealings in the club.

It had never bothered her but now, she felt guilty. It wasn’t like she could’ve done anything, but it almost felt like she’d done nothing and watched heartlessly when Kougami had needed her most.

Choe sat behind her, but just as he was about to touch her, she sat up and put on her clothes.

When she reached the door, Choe’s hand fell flat against the frame. “What’s that,” he whispered gently into her hair, running his fingertips down her arm. “I thought you were giving me special service tonight? Don’t you want your pay?”

“How about you give Kougami some extra time off, too?”

Choe blinked at her and laughed. “You sure know how to haggle. So generous, too. Sure, why not? I’ll give her some extra time off the floor to recuperate.”

She turned around and jumped up to kiss him. She draped her arms around him, pressing her breasts against his naked torso.

“Then the special service continues,” She smiled. He picked her up by her thighs, and kissed her against the doorway.

As he peeled her clothes off, he noticed the buttons were still undone.

 

February 3, 2110 [11:46 PM]

His touch was unbearable, but Kougami didn’t stop him. Right now, this was her life and she needed to adapt.

Kanehara ran his fingers along the bare skin of her thighs as he lapped at the pale and highly sensitive flesh.

Kougami’s breath hitched as the ghost of Togane’s touch haunted the sensation, and she felt like she was in the midst of a nightmare.

“You taste amazing…!” He breathed.

He was the first client she’d had since Togane, but this was their second night. She couldn’t afford to be picky for long-- It had been two weeks since her night with Togane and she had to work at some point.

Among all the patrons that approached her, he was the only one willing to pay for her exclusive attention. He was her best option to work as little as possible. She had to put out.

She hummed and moaned as best she could, pretending to enjoy it. Kanehara excitedly responded by kneading her skin harder, and whispering praises between kisses.

“You are so beautiful, so kind, so delicious…”

His saliva left a damp trail all along her legs, refreshing the dark memories of her previous client that she had tucked away inside. She only had to survive, it was all she could focus on right now.

He buried his face on her lap and took a deep breath, sniffing her crotch. She caressed the feint jawline of her client as he turned his head to its side, and he shivered under her touch-- He moaned, stood up and pushed her down. Kougami bit her lip to stifle a whimper.

She felt herself tense when he flipped her over-- All too often did she find herself in this position.  For a split second her mind had betrayed her, succumbing to dark memories that pulled her down. Her client had morphed into someone else entirely. The chin resting on the crook of her neck was now sharper. She felt his pudgy limb transform into stronger ones that promised to break her in half, while his simpering voice gradually became deeper and more guttural.

She found herself unable to breathe.

She braced herself for him to touch her asshole, but instead he cupped her breasts with his hands and squeezed and stroked them feverently.

He rubbed himself against her back, his hot breath rapid against her neck. It felt damp and disgusting to her.

“Everyone is...always looking down on me...work is hell… everyone is terrible...but you’re not. You’re….you’re wonderful,” He groaned, “I can feel my hue clearing when I touch you like this...you're better than medicine….than any drug…”

She could feel his fingers slide between them to undo his pants, and push her thighs tight together as he slipped his penis into the nonexistent gap.

Kougami buried her face into the pillow, shutting out as much of her senses as she could as he thrusted away between her legs, over and over again, getting faster, wilder and more aggressive.

His hands handled her breasts roughly, his mouth panting by her ear-- She could already feel him spilling out between her legs, a thick and tacky liquid that slipped across her skin as he slid in and out.

He didn't stop thrusting as he came, and his cum oozed down the crack between her legs in pulses. She kept her legs tight, more out of being frozen in fear than out of will.

When he was done, he pulled himself out slowly. He wiped himself off and took off his pants. He grabbed his things and headed to the bathroom to shower.

“Thank you…” He sighed, turning to her, “You’re really the best.”

The door closed behind him in a soft click.

Kougami hadn’t moved an inch.

 

February 4, 2110 [12:28 AM]

Ginoza looked up as he saw Kanehara descend the small staircase. He watched as he paid the cashier with a calm, satisfied look on his face.

How could someone do something so wretched and feel better about themselves? He didn’t understand.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he imagined his father would’ve had an explanation. Whatever it was, he didn’t want to hear it.

A few minutes later, Kougami came out. She was in a different outfit than when she had gone up. A black halter top and leggings, form fitting-- Some of it he recognized from Sasayama’s closet again. Her face bore a lifeless expression, a daze more like death than the happy one her client had.

“You’re staring at her again,” A voice beside him called his attention. Ginoza turned to find Kurata at the bar, serving him some iced water. “She’s not the woman you knew, Ginoza-san. Just ignore her.”

“Mind your own business. Unlike you latent criminals, I have a conscience,” He said, swiping the water and drinking it. He felt hot under the collar. Seeing Kougami always did this to him now.

Ever since that night he had handed her off to Togane, Ginoza couldn’t look Kougami in the eye. Now that he tried, he only found that she wouldn’t look at him either. The guilt was always fresh, and he wondered if Kougami held it against him that he hadn’t helped her then. It was unlike her to resent anyone, but everyone had limits.

Ginoza turned to search the crowd for her, and spotted her heading their way. He pretended not to notice.

Kougami arrived at the bar, ignoring Ginoza. “I’d like a cold glass of water too, please.”

Up close, she looked intimidating, almost feral, with her statuesque height and dark clothing. The most disconcerting part, however, was her sharp features. Ginoza was certain it was due to starvation. He idly wondered if she didn’t eat on purpose.

Kurata clicked his tongue as he turned around to prepare one. Ginoza eyed Kougami, searching for any bruises or marks, but she looked perfectly clean. Though she didn’t react, she could see him fidgeting in the corner of her eye.

The history between them made it impossible not to notice.

“Kougami…” Ginoza finally started, adjusting his glasses as he spoke, “Why are you still here?”

“What do you mean?” She said as she took the glass Kurata offered, not even looking at him.

“As it sounds, why are you still here? Ironically… The decline of your Psychopass would have been your chance to return to the CID as an Enforcer. If you had asked, you could have easily been transferred with your credentials, our employers couldn’t refuse.”

Kougami shrugged.

“Don’t give me that! Kougami you… didn’t you like your job at the CID? You were a capable inspector. If my old man hadn’t dragged you into this mess, you wouldn’t have--”

Kougami scoffed.

Ginoza slammed a fist against the counter. “This isn’t funny! What are you doing staying in this job when you obviously can’t stand it!”

Kougami eyed Ginoza’s balled fist on the table.

Ginoza studied Kougami’s face, and though he wouldn’t admit it, her face shadowed the expression his father always wore.

“She just doesn’t have it in her,” Kurata answered.

“Even as an Inspector, she was just all talk. Even she knew. That’s why she quit,” He continued nonchalantly, shrugging as he cleaned a glass.

“The truth is she looked down on us Enforcers, but couldn’t take the pressure. Now she’s cracked, her tail between her legs, and on the same level as her past subordinates. So she stays here, doing the only thing she can without having to show herself to --”

“Stop it, Kurata!” Ginoza interrupted.

He eyed Kougami but she was unresponsive-- She wasn’t even looking at them.

She finished her glass, and turned to leave the counter.

Kurata raised an eyebrow, “See? Can’t even look at us.”

“Kougami!--” Ginoza tugged on Kougami’s arm and without another word, she smacked him hard against the jaw.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Kurata yelled as he came out from behind the counter and slapped her hard across the face.

Ginoza punched the poor undercover Enforcer, hard enough to have him land on his butt on the ground.

The surrounding audience was frozen in shock, and the small crowd went quiet. “Kougami, are you oka--” Ginoza was cut off mid-sentence when he caught Kougami’s eyes.

She didn’t look hurt at all. Instead she looked over it. “I’m fine, Ginoza-san,” She said.

‘Ginoza-san…’ he thought to himself, ‘You always just called me Gino.’

As she walked away Ginoza noticed Kagari at the far end of the bar, eyeing him with a drink near her lips. She gestured to her eyes, then pointed at him menacingly.

She stood up and headed to the guests, suddenly saccharine. “What a show! But that’s not what you’re all here for, is it?” She sang. Some patrons laughed, the rest simply shrugged and turned their attention elsewhere.

Kurata made a face and got back to the bar shelf. “Everyone here is crazy,” He tells his superior, rubbing his cheek.

“Yeah.” Ginoza agreed, “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

 

February 5, 2110 [01:34 PM]

Kagari poured olive oil into a pan. “That was some scene that played out last night,” She said.

Kougami said nothing, and smoked silently from across the room. Kagari had offered to cook her lunch, and Hinakawa said she would join them later. The medication she took last night was a bit strong and she felt like sleeping in. Kougami figured that Kagari had made this offer to comfort her, she seemed aloof but she was still pretty much just a sensitive kid.

Kagari didn’t follow up her statement. The room was quiet save the sound of a knife dicing away at the chopping board and something sizzling in a frying pan.

Kougami closed her eyes for a second and she could almost imagine she was in an old fashioned house. Something like from those books she read, set in a quiet suburban town like Castle Rock. Did horrors wait outside?

“Kou-chan, do you remember when we first met?” Kagari asked. Kougami’s eyes blinked open, and she craned her neck back to look at her. “Uh...yeah, do you?”

Kagari laughed. “Of course I do!” She was already done cooking, and she had two heaping bowls of fried rice ready for both of them.

She took out two cold beers as she spoke. “I remember at that time you were just some skinny-looking spoilt waiter girl. It pissed me off that you seemed kinda smart and whatever, and you were still working a job in a place like this. Acting all polite when you introduced yourself, it actually felt like you were talkin’ down on me, mocking me. I wanted to punch your pretty little face in.”

Kougami smiled. “You sorta did though.”

“Ha? You beat my ass too, you broke my arm!” She laughed, “Who ever heard of a waitress getting in a fight with a working girl? I thought it was crazy that such a straight laced type that the Sybil system liked would fight back, let alone not get fired.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s because the customers found it entertaining. Some of them even cheered, right? They thought it was some kind of script...oh,” she paused as she chewed the food in her mouth, “Wow, this is really good.”

Kagari flashed a wide grin at her. “Nowadays synthetic food is a lot more accessible and convenient, but as someone who spent most of their life in the Rehabilitation Center, getting to cook my own food is actually pretty fun. And in this job, saying I can cook gets a lot of guys going too. It’s the apron fantasy I guess.”

Kougami went quiet.

She sometimes forgot that Kagari was tagged when she was younger, six years old if she remembered correctly. She had begun working at club Utopia only a little after Kougami herself signed on. She was seventeen then, Kougami was twenty three.

Thinking about it, it was almost like bullying to get in a fight with her when she was a trained inspector, but also kind of shameful that Kagari managed to break some of her ribs.

“Kagari, is that why you took this job?” she asked.

Kagari peeked at Kougami from behind the can of beer she was drinking. She set down the can and rubbed her neck. “Well...I guess so. I was just happy to get an offer out of that place. I guess it’s cuz I was so damn cute, eh?” she said with a laugh. Kougami couldn’t laugh with her.

She suddenly felt guilty for feeling miserable, though she knew that made no sense, and Kagari noticed.

“Kou-chan look,” Kagari started, “the Rehabilitation Center...it’s a lonely isolating place. The therapy, the drugs, monitoring my mental status, I felt like a lab animal. I took the job offered because I had nothing to lose, but I’m having fun right now. It’s just in my personality to be a little spiteful, and there’s not much freedom so I can get whiney, but there’s nothing pitiable about me.”

Kougami raised an eyebrow, wordlessly asking where this was going.

“All I’m saying is, don’t look so serious! I like you, I don’t really care what everyone else says. Especially not what some dumb machine says, when that same dumb machine also thinks a kid should be locked up and turned into a whore. So really you shouldn’t care either. About what me, or anyone else thinks.”

Kougami blinked back. Kagari was always a bit confrontational, but in her biting tone as she said all this there was a vulnerable and awkward seriousness to it too. She’d never heard her friend talk about how she felt so seriously.

What had Kagari felt when she, a ‘healthy citizen’ had quit her job only to be sucked into this world, looking so miserable when it was all Kagari had? Especially when she might’ve been one of the few that Kagari liked.

Kougami couldn’t imagine.

She smiled and sighed. “You’ve got it wrong, Kagari. It’s not that I’m spiteful of how I’ve been judged, nor am I self-conscious of it. I worked with some good people who are latent criminals--you, Sasayama and Hinakawa included. If you’re concerned about my attitude last night, it’s just that I have a lot of complex emotions regarding Ginoza-san. I’m bitter and disappointed, but I also feel a little worried about him, even now….and also...

...I don’t really know what to do right now. I used to believe I was meant to protect people, but not being able to protect Sasayama, I feel so discouraged. Can I go back to the CID, as their hunting dog? Maybe it’s the best thing for me. But knowing this place, having been through everything here, I feel like there’s more for me to do here than there...though I don’t know what.”

“That’s pretty lofty of you to think about in a place like this” Kagari shrugged, leaning back in her chair. “Yeah, I guess.” Kougami said, with a chuckle, opening her beer, “It’s just one side of it.”

“Kou-chan you’re still thinking like one of those working stiffs in the outside world. You need to stop thinking about what you can do to help people and start thinking about what you can do for yourself. The world wants nothing to do with you now. So what do you want from what’s left of the world?”

Kougami went quiet, unable to answer that question.

She took a sip of beer, and her face scrunched in discomfort. Kagari laughed. “You can’t be a working girl if you can’t handle alcohol.”

“Is there still some food left?” a meek voice asked as she entered the room. Kagari smiled and pointed at the third bowl on the table to Hinakawa.

Kougami watched them as they ate peacefully, smiling and laughing. The world had rejected them also, but they seemed so ready to cling to life and survive against all odds. What drove them, she wondered. If she couldn’t protect people anymore, what was it that kept her clinging so desperately to life? It obviously wasn’t the desire to protect.

What was it that she was living for? she wondered, glancing at Sasayama’s empty seat, picturing her mangled corpse again.

The can of beer crinkled as her hand gripped tighter.

What was it?


	6. Give Chase The Phantom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The writing within is not reflective of, encouraging nor discouraging any particular moral stand or value. It is meant to be artistic and experiential and open to interpretation and considered thoughtfully, reflected upon. A.K.A. I’m not telling you what to think or do reader, I’m telling you a fucking story 
> 
> Kogomi: mmh... i will try to be more active next nextchapter  
> Matrashima: きたああああああぁぁぁ！！  
> Kamuimi:

March 21, 2110. [06:24 PM]

Akane’s hands felt cold. It wasn’t the weather, it was his nerves.

He entered the doors to club Utopia-- He’d been in a club before, but never one that offered sexual services. He couldn’t help but feel shy about it.

People that entered these clubs often either had a lot of money, a lot of influence or an appetite so decadent that their mental health regimen depended on its services. Akane had none of these things.

He was interested in none of it. He was here to meet someone.

Kougami Shinya was Akane’s upperclassman in the academy. He’d appreciated her advice and insight, and admired her earnestness. When the multitude of opportunities presented themselves to him and he’d chosen to be a part of the CID, he actually hadn’t considered Kougami as a factor.

He’d forgotten that she was also aiming to go there-- The incident of two months ago was not how he wanted to remember.

As soon as he stepped unto the establishment’s threshold, he felt like he’d joined an online Commufield.

He was certain that only some of the interior was holographic, but the decor gave him that impression nonetheless. There was a somewhat stuffy sensation, like you had been forced into a sense of intimacy with the other people in the room-- Even if it wasn't very crowded.

There was the sillage  of perfume and alcohol while holo projections curtained the dancers on stage, some chairs available along the edge.

Other chairs were in small cubes, allowing for privacy-- Only a few among the crowds of people wore the establishment’s uniform, but about a third of the them seemed to be employees watching and entertaining guests.

After a while Akane finally saw what he was looking for, a head of black hair on a familiar fair face by the bar. He cut his way through the crowd, politely excusing himself when he bumped into people. He felt his tongue in his throat-- Determined but nervous to speak with his old acquaintance.

“Kou-gami-san…!” He called out as soon as he pushed himself out of the crowd and through the dancefloor.

Kougami searched for the voice and turned to him, not seeming to recognize him at first. “Uhm, it’s me. Tsunemori Akane. I was your underclassman at Nitto Academy.”

Recognition dawned on her face. “The inspector who shot me a few days ago.”

Akane’s face froze in horror. He had hoped she didn't remember that.

“I-I’m sorry!” he blurted out and bowed at a perfect ninety degree angle.

Kougami smiled wistfully. “It’s rare to see an inspector bow before a common working girl. Anyway, don’t be. You only did your duty as an inspector. I was a threat to people around me. I’m only thankful it hadn’t turned into an eliminator.”

Akane straightened up with a relieved smile on his face.

“What are you doing in a place like this, Inspector? Are you that stressed from work?” Kougami asked with a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

“Oh, n-no! That’s not it! Uh, actually I was here to see you.” Kougami raised an eyebrow. Akane panicked and his face turned bright red.

“NO-Uhm, not like that!” He flailed, waving his hands in front of himself.  

“I had some news about the specimen case!” He quickly added.

Kougami froze. Akane eyed her warily, as it then occurred to him that she may not even know that that was how they’d referred to it. From the look on her face, though, he could tell she knew.

It was a vague and sinister nickname, but it immediately brought an image to Kougami’s mind-- A specimen. A preserved corpse on display for observation and study.

The corpse of a friend.

Through the corner of his eye, Akane saw her fist tighten on the counter.

“What about it?” Kougami asked.

“....Kougami-san, the last victim was a good friend of yours, wasn’t it?” At that, Akane looked down at his hands, suddenly feeling timid. “I’m sorry to bring up the memory, but I thought that with your history in the CID, you might be wondering how the case turned out.”

“You’ve solved it?”

Akane glanced up. “Why do you think that?”

“You wouldn’t have come to see me at such a late time just to tell me you don’t know. So?”

Akane could see that Kougami was bracing herself. Her jaw was clenched, and her back was straight. Her hand was still in a tight fist on the counter.

Akane fidgeted, just as tense. He took a deep breath. The truth was that the news he brought was not so simple.

“Actually, that is what I’m here for. We found a prime suspect. His name was Touma Kouzaburou.” Once the name escaped his lips, there came a lingering silence.

“The chemicals used to preserve the victims’ bodies were found in his apartment…” He finally continued with one deep breath.

“Although he was brought in, we couldn’t detain him indefinitely and now he’s gone missing. The murders seemed to have stopped soon after, but even with that all the evidence is still circumstantial. The chief...has decided to close the case and declare it unsolved.”

The sounds of the club filled the quiet that followed the dreadful news. Akane silently watched Kougami for a reaction as he spoke, but her expression never changed.

“Kougami-san?...are you alright?” He asked.

“Is that...all of it?” Kougami asked, her voice quiet and shaky, “They only found one suspect?”

“Eh?” Akane blinked back. “Well, yes… Uhm… I’m sorry, did you expect there to be more?”

“It’s not that I expect there to be more, there’s obviously more than one person involved! Are you telling me no one’s chasing this lead?!”

A few people around them turned to look. “K-Kougami-san, please lower your voice, people are looking this way…”

Kougami glared at them and they turned away. “I can’t believe it…” she growled, turning away and facing the bar. “Sasayama could see it, why aren’t the staff at the CID picking up on this…? Are you telling me two working girls at some club are smarter than the entire CID combined?! You’ve gotta be kidding me! Sasayama--” she grit her teeth, “Sasayama died following that lead!!”

Akane stood confused. He reached out and drew his arm back, not sure if she was talking to him or to herself. “K-Kougami-san…?”

Kougami turned to him sharply and walked right up to his face. “Inspector, you have to forward this news to the CID. There’s more than one man involved. They need to look into a man named Makishima.”

“Makishima? What are you…I-I could try but how am I going to convince them--”

“Because Sasayama overheard it!” Kougami slammed her fist against the counter, but this time people tried to ignore the scene. “Sasayama overheard him talking to someone named Makishima, and he seemed involved!”

“Alright, but...did you record it? I mean...do you have evidence? I need something to-”

She slammed her fist harder, hysteric. “Isn’t the testimony of the victim enough!? Damn it, it’s exactly like she said!! No one’s going to listen to two latent crimina--”

“Excuse me,” a voice interrupted, “what are you talking about?”

Akane and Kougami turned to the man the voice belonged to. A man with white hair was sitting at the bar just a few seats away from them, drinking wine.

“Who are you?” Kougami scowled.

He smiled politely. “My name is Shibata Yukimori,” He said. “I don’t mean to intrude, but your conversation just seemed interesting.”

 

 

 

March 18, 2110. [06:24 PM]

“I haven’t seen you in a while, Makishima-san,” Choe greeted as he placed the cup of tea in front of him.

Makishima smiled at him as he took the cup. He was seated on a black leather upholstered seat in a small and cozy private room at Utopia. Outside, a man in a black suit and shades, quite the stereotype, stood guard in front of the door. He could see the entire dance floor through the one way mirror, but the sounds of the crowd were distant despite being only a floor above it.

“I’m sorry. During the affair with Touma-san I got a bit busy,” Makishima said, watching the people downstairs.

“It feels like a lot has been happening around me, and I just find myself getting involved with all of it.” At this Choe couldn’t help but chuckle. “But isn’t that what you enjoy doing?”

He didn’t respond to the question.

Choe opened a bottle of beer and sat down on the chair opposite. He took one swig from the bottle and glanced at his friend drinking tea.

His expression was blank and bleak. Choe eyed the bag he’d placed beside him. Surely there was a book inside, but he wasn’t reading-- There seemed to be an air of frustration about him, which was very unusual. Choe wondered if he’d come here to sulk, or if he’d actually wanted to talk.

After a long comfortable silence, Choe decided to just ask outright. “So, what are you doing here now? Where is Touma Kouzaburou?”

Makishima reclined in his chair a moment, taking a breath before speaking. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since our last little project. He’s gone missing. It’s likely because either the CID has him or he’s gone off grid to avoid getting caught.”

Ah. “How disappointing.”

Makishima nodded and drank more tea. He stared down at it a moment before placing it on the table and leaned forward-- Unusually pensive.

Choe leaned forward in response to listen. “I’ve been gone to avoid seeming suspicious. I’ve been going to work and he hasn’t been showing up there either. I can’t help but suspect that he has been caught, and that there has been no news of it at all because they know what he is.”

“You suspect they know about you?” Choe asked.

Makishima shrugged and leaned back again. “Perhaps they don’t suspect me. It is more likely that he is simply dead or gone.”

Choe sighed. His friend was obviously disappointed. This was the boring end result of his latest adventure. More importantly, he envisioned this to be the terrible fate met by the only other person he found that, just like him, was free from any judgement...to disappear, and be forgotten. As if he was never there.

It was Makishima who broke the silence and brought them back on topic.

“Two of the things that have been happening around me are meeting at your club now. A Kanehara Yuji and Otsu Kyohei. Do you remember them?”

“Hmm… I believe Kanehara-san has recently been the exclusive patron of one of the girls. Otsu-san however…. I can’t recall.”

“I figured. Otsu Kyohei was a man also involved with my recent work with Touma Kouzaburou. To make a long story short, he, Touma-san, and I had some common interests. So we had a little collaboration.”

Choe raised an eyebrow. “Would this have anything to do with my recently deceased employee?”

Makishima smiled apologetically. “It wasn’t my intention to make a spectacle of her, but the timing coincided. It seems she was quite curious and had been snooping around Touma-san’s things. She almost took hold of some incriminating photos.”

Choe’s eyes widened a little for a moment, a thought seemed to have struck him.

“What is it?” Makishima asked.

“Hmm… Perhaps it is nothing, but…” Choe trailed off. “What, don’t start and then leave it in the air.” Makishima laughed.

Choe smiled as he leaned back on his chair.

“She was the roommate of another snoop. An ex-inspector who had been working us for quite some time without us knowing. She was pretty good, but thanks to the system we created, we haven’t left anything incriminating behind. However we had to force her into the business to break her a little and discredit her.”

“How uncharacteristically extreme of you.”

“It was also an opportunity to test the effectiveness of some of the psychotropic drugs we experimented with. They weren’t quite as effective as the new batch though.”

“Haha, I see. That makes more sense.”

“I thought maybe she had influenced your recent prey into doing the snooping.” Choe said.

Makishima raised an eyebrow and gazed back down at the floor, a bemused smile on his face. “What’s her name?” he asked. Choe laughed as he recognized the glint in his eye and took another gulp of his beer.

“That’s quite an unusual woman you’ve taken interest in. Her name is Kougami Shinya.”

“Yes, well, an inspector falling in with an underground life, only to continue her pursuit of justice?” he said, as he rested his face on his hand.

“I get the feeling… She’d be very entertaining.”

 

 

 

March 21, 2110. [06:58 PM]

Yukimori’s interjection had thrown off both Akane and Kougami.

Kougami looked him over, feeling a knot in her stomach. He wasn’t among the crowd that had stared at her earlier, but it seems he had been quietly listening.

“What do you mean it seemed interesting?” Akane asked.

“It’s just that it sounds like a scene right out of a detective novel. Your friend called you an Inspector and mentioned the CID? Are you talking about a crime?” Akane eyed Kougami accusingly, and Kougami frowned.

Vaguely talking about a case in public was one thing, but to out Akane’s position and involvement was another. She’d made a mistake.

Akane turned to Yukimori bearing an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry, uhm...Shibata-san, was it? The truth is I’m not at liberty to say. That information is classified, as it’s possibly dangerous for your mental health,” Akane told him.

“In any case it’s none of your concern. Unless perhaps these kinds of stories are the kind of pleasure you’re seeking?” Kougami added.

“Kougami-san…!”

Yukimori laughed and nodded. “I suppose I do seem suspicious but I promise that I’m just a curious civilian.”

“You have a morbid sense of curiosity.” Kougami said with a glare. He only laughed again.

“Alright, you caught me,” He apologized. “The truth is I’m especially curious because I think I know what the case is about. You mentioned chemicals preserving bodies… Do they have anything to do with that unsettling holographic display a few months ago?”

The shock and recognition were obvious on the pair’s faces. “How did you know-”

“I passed by it of course. At the time, I didn’t think it was real. It looked quite real, but I thought it was nothing more than a rather morbid and crude display. Still, when you mentioned chemicals, and that your friend--I’m guessing another girl from here--was also a victim… I couldn’t help but wonder….”

“Please, don’t think about it further.” Akane pleaded, “Your hue might become cloudy. Some of the civilians who encountered it are still undergoing therapy.”

“Thank you Inspector, but don’t worry about me. Scan me, if you like. I’ll admit I’m unsettled, and it might show on my hue, but I’m fine. It won’t bother me that much.”

Akane glanced at Kougami who nodded at him. He took out a scanner and scanned Yukimori, which only detected a Crime Coefficient of 68.3.

“He’s fine.” Akane nodded. Yukimori’s expression softened.

“I have a high constitution for stress, it seems. Now, would you mind letting me join this conversation? I won’t be so reckless as to share it with others. I only want to understand what it is I saw that day.”

Kougami eyed him with suspicion but looked to Akane for his opinion.

Akane thought for a moment and nodded. Pooling their information might be best, and this Yukimori may have been a witness.

They sat in a cubicle far away from the crowd for privacy. Akane ordered them all drinks.

Yukimori brought his wine, Akane had a beer and Kougami just had water.

Akane started explaining what he’d only heard secondhand, about reported cases before he even joined. Before the one they all knew of personally, there had been three similar displays.

Kougami then explained in summary how Sasayama had been investigating it as well, and how it seemed to have lead to her death.

All the while, Akane noticed that Yukimori was listening to them intently, and that Kougami seemed to be observing him in her peripheral. He fidgeted in his seat, unsure if he’d done the right thing letting either of them discuss this with him.

“I agree with Kougami-san that there might have been another person involved,” Yukimori said.

“You do?” They both asked in unison.

“At the very least, his supplier for the chemicals might have been involved. This… Touma Kouzaburou, was it? He’s a teacher? Even if he was a science teacher, I doubt he’d have access to such a large quantity of those chemicals.”

“We considered that, but we couldn’t trace the chemicals either. It seems they were custom made, an unpatented formula that wasn’t in the market. It’s possible the supplier was his accomplice, but it’s also possible he just got them off the black market, though his records don’t reveal any suspicious activity in his assets.”

Kougami tapped impatiently on the table, her brows furrowed in thought. “What is it?” Yukimori asked, and she glared in response.

“Sorry, first, do you mind if I smoke?” She asked them. The two shook their heads. She then took out a cigarette before speaking. “Inspector, do you think you can give me access to those files?”

“Haah?!”

Yukimori stifled a laugh.

“W-what...why? I can’t give this to a civilian who--”

“Consider me your consultant. I had a good friend that I often spoke with regarding cases because of his academic credentials. The files that require clearance, you can deny me access to those as needed. But the initial report of the case, I’d like to read it.”

Akane shook his head vigorously. “No. No way, I can’t do that...I mean...I can ask, I guess, but I don’t think they’ll let me. Kougami-san, if you’re so eager to pursue this, why don’t you just apply to be an Enforcer?”

“I don’t think I can right now. If I went into the field, you might just have to shoot me with your paralyzer again,” She smiled.

Akane flushed and went quiet.

“Kougami-san,” Yukimori started, “it seems you have a lot  of personal investment in this case. I sympathize. Isn’t it a bit cruel however, to demand so much of the Inspector, when he could lose his job for it? At least give him some time to consider.”

Kougami visibly relaxed, not realizing she had taken on an aggressive and standoffish posture. “I apologize, maybe I was too pushy just now. I have to admit, it’s mostly personal investment. I guess… I just feel that when Sasayama talked to me about her suspicions, and left me those reports in her death, I felt like it became my business.”

“Kougami-san…” Akane muttered.

Yukimori eyed them both.

“Kougami, what are you doing?” Ginoza interrupted.

“G-Ginoza-san…” Akane stuttered. “Inspector Tsunemori, I’m sorry is she bothering you?” Ginoza asked, eyeing the three.

“Oh, n-no, I came here to see her,” Akane replied. “Kougami,” he said ignoring Akane, “Kanehara hasn’t come to see you since last week. Tonight’s your last night to meet your quota. Please don’t bother the Inspector and find some work.”

Kougami sighed. “Right, sorry.”

“Maybe I can purchase her?”

All eyes fell on Yukimori.

“What are her rates, may I ask?” He asked Ginoza. Though he was a client, Ginoza’s eyes leered at him. He took out a pad with a screen and opened a menu, showing it to Yukimori.

“I see. I can afford this. I’d like to purchase her for the week, then.”

“Hey…!” Kougami protested with a scowl on her face.

“Kougami, please don’t make a scene,” Ginoza warned. She eyed him threateningly for a moment, but it was obvious he actually wanted to protest. Kougami couldn’t get mad-- This was work, both of them had to accept that.

“Kougami-san, please don’t feel so threatened by me,” Yukimori smiled as he stood up. “I actually would just like to continue our conversation. Please, if you could, bring those letters you spoke of. I’d like to see them.”

Akane watched silently as the three of them made their way to the cashier. “Ginoza-san,” he called aside quietly, “I’m sorry if I disturbed you. I was just…worried…”

“Inspector Tsunemori, I advise you to refrain from mingling with latent criminals. It’s bad for your hue. Just look at what happened to Kougami,” He said coldly.

A flash of orange hair stepped in between them. “Gino-san, who’s the weirdo buying off Kou-chan at the counter?!”

“Kagari, don’t talk that way about our clients,” Ginoza sighed.

“But he looks like a weirdo!” She protested. “I’ve seen him a few times before too, and he never buys the girls, he just sits alone and drinks while reading a book! So why is he…”

Ginoza spun her around. “Kagari, this is my friend Tsunemori Akane. Why don’t you entertain him, as is your job?”

“Eh?!” Akane panicked. Kagari blinked as she looked him up and down.

“Hello, cutie, my name is Kagari. Are you looking to make a purchase?” She smiled, inwardly thinking he looked like the wholesome type that might spend big.

At the counter, Yukimori completed his transaction unnoticed-- Kougami walked up to him carrying the small box Sasayama had left her.

“Shall we?” he invited, offering his arm.

Kougami rolled her eyes and walked ahead.

 


	7. The Better Part of Valor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The writing within is not reflective of, encouraging nor discouraging any particular moral stand or value. It is meant to be artistic and experiential and open to interpretation and considered thoughtfully, reflected upon. A.K.A. I’m not telling you what to think or do reader, I’m telling you a fucking story.
> 
> Kogomi: 
> 
> Matrashima: I really love omniscient humor. What a nice guy~ lolol
> 
> Kamuimi: Smash his face in with a teapot

March 21, 2110. [11:25 PM]

“Would you like some tea?” He asked.

“I prefer coffee,” Kougami answered.

Yukimori raised his brows and nodded. “Coffee, then? I only have a few beans, I never gained the taste for it. They’re a little old, but I can make you some.”

“Don’t you have any instant?”

“No, I don’t like that stuff. I thought maybe a traditional french press would be more my style, like infused tea...but…” He shrugged. “We can go back out and buy so-”

“The french press is fine,” She interrupted. He smiled and opened the door.

“Make yourself at home,” He said as he took off his coat. He motioned to a pair of chairs seated across one another, and headed to what Kougami assumed was the kitchen.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

The moment he left the room, Kougami checked the door. It was locked from the inside, but it opened when she turned the knob. She could run if she had to.

She turned around and surveyed the room.

Across her, the windows ran from top to bottom, with a glass sliding door that led out to the balcony. The table and chairs were by the corner.

Where there was wall, there were mostly shelves. They weren’t completely full, but that wasn’t surprising considering how much space it occupied. There must’ve been at least a hundred books in the small room-- Probably much more.

To her left was a space between the shelves for a coat. On the right side of the room there were two doors. The one nearest her which Yukimori disappeared into must’ve been the kitchen.

The other room must’ve been the bedroom.

Kougami’s hands tightened around the box in her hands. Her fingers went cold and her muscles tensed. Dull pain bloomed from her phantom bruises. She lingered there for a moment, silently watching the bedroom door.

It was only a door, she told herself, closing her eyes as she pulled herself back into the moment.

Vigilance was key. There was no time for dread. ~~~~

Kougami looked back at the box in her hands.

Sasayama died sticking her nose where it didn’t belong. She felt partly responsible for that. She couldn’t afford to make the same mistake. Everything Sasayama died for, she now had to carry on her own.

She sat in one of the chairs, clutching the small box to her chest, and breathed a heavy sigh. 

Her eyes ran across the titles on the nearby shelf. They seemed to have no order to how they were arranged, and the genre seemed to range from comedy to philosophy, from biography to fiction.

She wondered if they came with the room or if he actually got them himself.

The door to the kitchen opened and Yukimori brought in a small tray. “Is Kougami a nickname?”

“What?” Kougami asked, startled, not quite hearing what he had just asked.

“The inspector called you Kougami. Is it a nickname, a surname…?”

“It’s my surname.”

“I see.” He placed a cup, creamer, and sugar in front of her. “Sorry, I don’t know how you like your coffee.”

“This is fine, thank you,” She smiled politely.

She then sipped the coffee, and was surprised to find that she actually liked it. After some silence she looked up to find Yukimori watching her. “Is something wrong?”

“What’s your given name?”

Her eyes narrowed as she shifted in her seat. “Shinya.”

“An unusual first name for a girl. How is it written?”

She sighed. “Can we get back topic? You said you wanted to know more about the case. Why are you asking about me?”

“I apologize if I seemed intrusive. It’s just that you’re in my home, drinking my tea. I wanted to know a little bit more about my guest.”

“Oh.” Feeling somewhat guilty, Kougami shifted and tried to relax.

She was feeling jumpy and was being rude. She sipped her coffee a bit and put it back on the table. Then she put the box down between them and nudged it forward.

“These are her letters.”

Yukimori politely bowed and took it. “I’ll handle them with care.”

Kougami sat with her elbows on the armrests and her hands clasped together on her lap. She felt tense as she watched the stranger open the box-- Almost like she was confessing a secret to him.

He inspected the dedication carefully, almost wistfully, solemnly, as if he were contemplating poetry.

“So, she left this for you? Did she know what might happen to her?”

“No, I think she meant to give it to me once she had proof. I only found it when I was going through her things.”

His face softened. “That must’ve been difficult to do.”

“It was alright…”

There was a small stretch of silence as he continued to inspect the writing. He didn’t ask any questions, though she thought he’d meant to, and for a moment Kougami wondered if he’d forgotten she was here.

“Oh,” he suddenly stopped, “I’m sorry, I’m being rude, aren’t I? I’m rather interested in these letters. If you want to, feel free to read a book as I read them. Then we can talk at length.”

Kougami looked around at the room. “So these are really all yours? Is it alright? They seem old and expensive.”

Yukimori only smiled. “Please, help yourself.”

Kougami headed towards the bookshelves and started browsing the numerous titles. If he’d really read and owned all of these, or even half of these, he must’ve been quite rich. Some of the titles, Kougami could’ve sworn she’d recognized as banned literature, but banned books were not much more uncommon than paper books themselves. As long as you maintained a clear hue, it wasn’t very hard to find them and read them.

She stopped at an unmarked book that had piqued her curiosity. Upon pulling it out of the shelf and flipping through a few of the pages, the book was revealed to be a bible.

She shrugged and figured she might as well read it to pass time. When she turned, she caught Yukimori watching her in her peripheral before turning back to the letters.

She sat down and flipped through the pages. This was hardly sequential, so it didn’t matter if she started in the middle. She looked through passages and backread. It was quiet save the sound of cups clinking onto the table, or of the pages rustling.

Despite the coffee, Kougami felt tired. As she read on, her eyes began to catch up to the rest of her body, and she realized just how tired she was. Perhaps it was talking about the case, or perhaps it was because of how tense she had been the whole while. Either way, she could feel herself relaxing, and even falling asleep.

She tried to will herself awake, but she was out of coffee and she didn’t want to ask him for more.

Eventually her lids closed gently, leaving her with the faint afterimage of the stranger sipping tea, intently reading her friends’ dying words.

 

 

 

March 22, 2110. [03:38 AM]

“By the time I turned around, they’d both gone out the door!” Kagari complained, “I swear, I don’t trust him one bit with Kou-chan! And that guy, Tsunemori or something, he didn’t even buy me for the night. He was cute, too…”

Hinakawa frowned. “But Kagari-oneechan, you didn’t trust Kougami-neesan’s last client either…”

“This and that are different! That Kanehara guy looked unstable, I was scared he’d do something messed up to Kou-chan. This guy though, there’s something really fishy about him! I don’t know what it is… maybe he’s one of those super pervs?!”

Hinakawa smiled weakly. “Kagari-oneechan, you’re so nice to be worried about Kougami-oneesan. When I first got here, you were also always looking after me...”

“Of course, Hina-chan, you’re my kouhai. Kou-chan might be older, but in life I’m her sempai. She’s always tried to see the good in people, but there are some bad people out there!”

Hinakawa went somber and spoke quietly, “Don’t you think she knows that by now?”

Kagari stopped, the can of beer at her lips. She put the can down and sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. She knows that pretty well by now.”

Just then Shion came into the room, with Yayoi kissing him as he backed him up through the open door.

Kagari cleared her throat.

Shion turned his eyes to them, his lips still melded with Yayoi’s. He pulled his face away begrudgingly and raised an eyebrow, exasperated. “You girls are still up? Are you waiting on a client?”

“No, we’re worrying about Kou,” Kagari shrugged, “Some creep bought her for the night.”

Shion rolled his eyes and finally let go of Yayoi, resigned. Shion made his way to the table and sat on the surface, patting the girls’ head as he tried to console them.

“She is a big girl, you guys. A working one, just like all of you. You can’t freak out each time someone buys her for the night.”

“But she always gets the weird ones!” Kagari protested, “like I dunno I’ve seen my fair share of freaks but she’s had only three clients and each one of them would be pretty shady even by my standards!”

Hinakawa let out a slight gasp at the statement. Even Yayoi, who was preparing instant noodles at the counter, had to glance up in surprise.

“Your alarms are going off that badly?” Shion asked. Kagari nodded. “Kou-chan is a magnet for the worst of ‘em. For sure. This one ‘specially!”

Shion took a sip of Kagari’s beer and wondered. “We’ll have to see, I guess.”

Just then the door opened and Ginoza, Sugo and Kurata followed. Kagari leered at them. “And what’re you doing here, Ginoza-san? Are these your lackeys? Here to arrest us?”

Ginoza adjusted his glasses as he looked down on her. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Everyone collectively rolled their eyes at him.

“Ginoza-san,” Shion started, “I’m sorry to say this but you’re a bad spy. Ever since Shinya-kun told us she was undercover, it wasn’t hard to figure out that you two seeming close meant you were probably undercover too. Literally, all of us know.”

Kurata clicked his tongue. “That damn Kougami…”

Ginoza sighed. “I guess it’s better to stop pretending with you girls. Do you mind if we all took a break here, as well?”

The prior occupants all glanced at one another and shrugged. Kagari didn't look happy, but she waved them over anyway.

“Pull up a chair, inspector. Your friends are just as welcome to sit.”

Sugo, the larger man with dark hair that mostly cleaned up and helped at the bar, offered to make coffee for his friends. They both thanked him and took a seat.

Shion nestled next to Yayoi and took out a cigarette. “Ne, Ginoza-san...exactly what are you investigating here, hm? We’re a decent establishment, we told Shinya-kun that already. A bit on edge, but an honest place overall. Sybil-approved and everything. Are you possibly looking into Sasayama’s murder?”

“Sorry, it’s classified. It’s best none of you know, but we have reason to believe that something is going on here. With Kougami, for instance, do any of you really believe that she signed on willingly?”

Kurata rolled his eyes. “She probably signed on thinking it wasn’t so bad, trying to get deeper undercover, and now she’s stuck here.”

“Oi, she might not look it but she’s a lot more careful and considerate than that. She’s not reckless.” Ginoza defended.

“But Ginoza-san,” Sugo joined, holding two coffees, “She’s staying here, when she can finally opt out of the job. Isn’t she being reckless now?”

“She’s probably staying because of the other girls. She probably thinks she can protect them better if she’s here.”

“Hey, now, I don’t need any protecting.” Kagari protested, “If that’s her reason you can tell her to hit the road. She’s the inexperienced one here, I can deal with bad clients.”

“B-but if Kougami-Oneesan thinks something bad is happening here, m-maybe she wants to protect us from that?”

Shion puffed smoke with a sigh. “She’s the only proclaimed victim so far. I really wish the police would leave us alone. They’re only making things hard on themselves, worrying about this place. It’s a high stress-job, it’s got a lot of shady dealings by nature, but we’re successful cuz we’re trustworthy. If there’s anything that went on here, it’s probably long over and the culprit’s gone.”

Ginoza held the hot cup to his lips and wondered about that. “You might be right.”

His father was missing for about four months now, without a word. Their relationship was complicated, but he knew his father well enough. He had a hard time believing that the old man would be gone so long if there was still something going on here.

It was more likely he had gone off to chase the lead without regards to what might happen to Kougami. Yet, because of what happened with Kougami, he found himself agreeing with his father just this once. Things were very suspicious in this place.

“Ginoza-san…?” Someone called out to him. He looked up to find Kagari waving his hand in front of his face. “Hey, hey, did you not hear me? Your glasses are even misting over, are you spacing out?”

Ginoza placed his cup down and cleaned his glasses, embarrassed. “Sorry, what was that?”

“I was saying if they’re gone, then there’s no reason to stay. Unless you’re trying to look out for Kouchan?”

“Of course not. She’s chosen this for herself. We’re here to do our job. The assignment will end once our superiors call us back.”

“He-heh?” Shion taunted, “Ginoza-san, are you sure? You seemed pretty close with Shinya-kun.”

Ginoza shrugged and drank some coffee. “We’ve known each other since middle school, so of course it seems that way.”

“Middle school! What was Kouchan like as a middle schooler?” Kagari beamed. Kurata clicked his tongue. “She was a stupid posh kid, I bet.”

“No, actually she was a good student. She studied hard and had good marks.”

“Did she have long hair? I bet she looked really cute with long hair!” Shion smiled.

“No, she’s always had short hair. People used to tell her she looked a bit like a boy, but she just shrugged it off. She was always standoffish like that.”

“Hah! I can imagine. But I bet she filled out in high school, huh? With those amazing boobs of hers!” Kagari said with a wink.

Ginoza, Kurata, and Sugo all nearly spat their drink. “What are you talking about?! Don’t be so crass!” Ginoza scolded.

“Come now, you’re all men, are you telling me none of you caught yourselves noticing her figure?” Kagari chided.

The three men were quiet. In all honesty, none of them could disagree.

“S-So did you both study and join the CID together?” Hinakawa asked.

“Yeah, we did. Why are you all asking about this, did Kougami never tell you?”

Shion shrugged. “Well, she couldn’t tell us much about her job since she was undercover. When she told us, we agreed not to talk about it too much so we don’t out her. Then all this happened...there’s just been no time.”

“W-was she a good inspector?” Hinakawa asked. Ginoza could see the admiration in her eyes, and couldn’t help but smile a little. “She was a bit strange, but she got her work done.”

“I think she was a bit pretentious.” Kurata shrugged. “She thought our job was all noble, acted kinda high and mighty with this optimism that with our help she’d do good or something. It was kind of annoying.”

“Kurata, I thought you admired Kougami.” Ginoza raised his brow at him.

“I do not!”

Kagari couldn’t help but laugh “I can see what he’s saying though. That side of Kouchan kind of pissed me off when I first met her, too. Still, it’s also kind of her charm...”

Her voice faded, and the room felt the meaning behind the silence. Kougami was in a dark place right now, and they all worried what would become of her. Her Psychopass had already gone irreparably murky. She seemed to accept that, but what did that mean for her? Who was she now that her values had failed her? Was she stronger, or was she broken? No one knew.

Ginoza sighed and checked his watch.

“She should be home soon. What’s taking Shibata-san so long?”

“So that’s his name huh? Mr. Whitey.” Kagari asked. Hinakawa let out a quiet laugh. “His hair really stands out, huh”

Ginoza adjusted his glasses for the nth time and stood up to excuse himself. “I’m going to ask the handlers to follow-up on her. You should all get some rest.”

“Goodnight, Ginoza-kun.” Shion winked. Yayoi nodded to him.

“G’night, Gino-san”

“G-goodnight Ginoza-san.”

Ginoza frowned, but returned the courtesy anyway. “Goodnight.”

He closed the door behind him and the frown deepened. If Kougami was staying for them, he would’ve understood. They were kind and seemed to care about her.

She got too close, trusted them, and ended up joining them.

On some level, he selfishly hoped that he would be pulled out of the assignment soon. On a level he didn’t even know was there, he hoped he wouldn’t.

 

 

March 22, 2110. [04:23 AM]

Her face was draped against the backrest of her chair. Her hand was still holding the pages open on her lap. She was so quiet when she slept that he wondered if she was pretending like her friend did. He peeked over her shoulder and saw that the pages she was reading contained psalms 37 and 38.

Which  was she reading, he wondered, a smile on his face.

He spread the letters open across the counter. He’d read each of them carefully, six times over. Nothing gave him away, and some of it was even inaccurate. That wasn’t the only reason he read them though, he was also curious as to why the girl named Sasayama had pursued them.

When he read the letters, he tried to get a better sense of her thoughts. Even when Makishima had carefully cut her open, she hadn’t revealed much about her friend, the inspector. From the looks of it, she may really not have known anything. Sad to say, whether or not she truly possessed the loyalty and virtue to keep herself quiet despite everything they did to her, he would never know. For now, she may have simply been an earnest victim who bit off more than she could chew, another dog who died on a leash.

This Kougami Shinya, though, he wondered… What was she?

Her guard was up the whole night, definitely she couldn’t fit in with the blissfully ignorant that walked the streets down below. So why did she come tonight? What had she hoped to achieve? Or could it be that she really did go with him just because she needed to meet her quota? Why did that matter to her, why stay there instead of trying to rehabilitate? Why...

Just as the line of questions began to run on, he received a call.

He glanced at Kougami who seemed to stir. A light sleeper… Or was she merely faking it? ~~~~

He went to his bedroom and locked the door before answering the call.

“Makishima-san? I believe you are out late with an employee of mine.”

He smiled. “Choe Gu-Sung. Yes, I’m sorry. It might be a bit of overtime, but perhaps you could overlook it this once? She’s asleep. From the looks of it she doesn’t sleep quite often.”

A laugh. “How kind of you. Still, if I’m to remain credible as a business, I need to adhere to policy. Especially with latent criminal employees, a strict curfew can’t be ignored.”

“Four in the morning is too early. You should let them stay for sunrise.”

“For the perfect end of the nightlife, eh? I’ll consider it. I suppose you didn’t make use of her services?”

“She is very beautiful, but that’s not why I had her for the night. I looked over the letters her friend wrote. Nothing incriminating, she didn’t leave her much to go on.” He paused for a moment, his eyes lingering on the closed door, “Tell me, does she read books often?”

“Hm? What a strange question.”

“She was looking through my books earlier. I couldn’t help but wonder. When she finally picked one, it was a bible. One of the few books I have without a title along it’s spine.”

Makishima could almost hear Choe raising an eyebrow at him. “Is that meaningful in some way?”

“Maybe. It just struck me as interesting.... In any case, I’ll wake her then. I’ll drive her back to the club personally.”

“Thank you.” his friend replied, and then ended the call.

He exited the room, and looked her over again for a while before waking her. She looked almost ill. You wouldn’t have been able to tell she had a history of law enforcement. She must’ve stopped training. There was only light makeup on her face. You could see most of it focused on putting enough color on her cheeks to hide her pallor, and something to mask the dark circles under her eyes. Yes, she looked almost ill, but when she spoke earlier, there was no trace of feeling unwell at all.

“Kougami-san...” He whispered, as he shook her arm, “Kougami-san?”

She woke startled and backed away from him. “Mn?...Shibata...san?”

“I’m sorry to wake you, but I’m afraid I’ve gone far overtime. I need to return you to the club.”

She eyed him suspiciously, and felt around her wrists and torso. Makishima laughed. “I didn’t do anything to you. You simply slept.”

She involuntarily sighed in relief, and he laughed again. “Come, help me put your letters away and let’s go.”

They went to the car and began their drive. It was only then that Kougami spoke. “So?” she asked.

He shook his head. “There isn’t much to go on with the letters. Like the Inspector said, you need more solid evidence. It might help with the case against Touma Kouzaburou if their photo and your friends’ description match. Otherwise, there isn’t much else.”

“But what about his accomplice Makishima?”

“He definitely seems involved. Unfortunately, your friend didn’t even leave a description of him. If you could find out where they’d gone the night he visited, perhaps you could find some footage?”

Kougami shook her head. “The trackers we have only give a live feed, and the data is erased every twenty four hours.”

Of course he knew this. He sighed anyway. “I’m sorry, I guess I couldn’t be of any help. If it means anything though, I do believe you. Makishima exists, and he was involved in your friend’s death.”

Kougami watched him as he spoke. He’d seemed convinced. It was then that Kougami realized that until that moment, she herself wasn’t sure what she believed. Now she was certain. The accomplice named Makishima existed.

“I’m going to find him.” She muttered to herself, as she leaned against the window, gazing out into the half-dark streets, “Makishima… I’m going to find him.”

He smiled. “How optimistic of you. There are few leads and it will be difficult. Still, somehow I get the feeling you can do it.”

“...thank you.”

“I can look for what information I can and give it to you tomorrow. Just tell me. Even if the inspector won’t help you, there’s nothing wrong with a little civilian intel on public information.”

Kougami turned to look at him again. “Tomorrow?”

“I’ve purchased you for the week. I may as well help while I can.”

“Hey, don’t feel obligated.”

“No, I told you, I’m also curious. In any case it’s nice to have some company.”

“Oh…” Kougami slid further from him. “Of course.”

He glanced her way and raised an eyebrow, the edge of his lips curved. “Hey, now, that’s not what I meant. I bought your time, not your body. Won’t you give me someone to talk to? You seem like interesting company.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re very strange.”

“Not alarmingly so, I hope.”

“Very alarmingly.”

He didn’t reply.

As the silence dragged on, Kougami found herself tracing a line along the edges of the box. She opened the latch and saw that all the letters were still in order. Not a crease added to them.

They pulled up in front of the club. He was only dropping her off. They both stepped out of the car and he walked with her to the door. “Goodnight, then, Kougami-san.” he said, and he turned around to leave.

“.... ‘To be discreet’” she called to him before he could get to his car.

“Hm?”

“The 'Shin' is the ‘shin’ in 'discretion', and the 'ya' as is 'to be'. It’s how my name is written. Shinya. ‘To be discreet’.”

He smiled. “It suits you.”

“What about you?”

"The 'Yuki' in 'happiness', and the 'mori' in 'prosperity'."

She shook her head and opened the door. “It doesn’t suit you.” she called before entering.

He gave a soft chuckle and got in his car.


	8. Chasm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The writing within is not reflective of, encouraging nor discouraging any particular moral stand or value. It is meant to be artistic and experiential and open to interpretation and considered thoughtfully, reflected upon. A.K.A. I’m not telling you what to think or do reader, I’m telling you a fucking story 
> 
> Kogomi: Hello, thanks for being patient with us!  
> Matrashima: Trashinya’s thesis is finally over...sorry we disappeared but I didn’t want to post anything without my homies...  
> Kamuimi: Gaze into the chasm and it gazes back. Wrong quote I kno but heeeeee~

March 22, 2110. [11:23 PM]

Yukimori had picked her up from the club a few hours ago. He came in considerably early, and it may be that he intended to keep her late again. She still didn’t quite understand his intentions, and it was a long drawn-out period of tense suspicion.

“Please, make yourself comfortable,” he welcomed. Kougami sat in the same seat she’d been in before. The bible was left on the table in front of her, set aside for her. She had no intention of continuing to read up on it.

Yukimori had disappeared into the kitchen for a moment, and came out with two cups. “Would you mind trying the tea I prepared? I thought maybe you take coffee because you haven’t tried tea yet. You and I might yet enjoy a cup together.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged as he gave her the cup on a saucer. She took it anyway, figuring that he was the client and there were worse things he could’ve asked of her.

She took a sip and frowned with pursed lips.

“No good?” He asked.

She paused a moment. “It’s...alright, I guess. It might grow on me.”

He laughed. “Don’t force yourself, I bought you coffee—the instant kind. I’ll be right back with it.”

Kougami watched him leave his own cup at the table and then take hers back into the kitchen. She held the warm cup in her hands, bewildered by the suspiciously considerate gesture.

Yukimori came back and placed her cup in front of her, then sat down and drank his tea without a word. An awkward silence passed. Kougami had expected him to dive right into conversation but he didn’t.

“Shibata-san,” she began, “exactly why did you buy me?”

“Your services, you mean?”

She nodded.

“I just wanted some company. Is it so hard to believe? You’re an interesting woman, and you’re beautiful too,” he smiled.

“What exactly do you find interesting? Wasn’t it the case that you were interested in?” She asked, slightly raising her brow.

“It was. It is. But, you as well. How did you end up in that place, inspector?” He asked, leaning closer.

Kougami straightened up. “I never said I was an inspector.”

“Your friend addressed you as detective in the box, remember?”

Kougami flushed mildly, her paranoia was becoming more apparent, and she was still unsure if she had any ground to stand on.

“Right, sorry. I’m a little out of it.” she sighed, leaning back into her seat. “I guess I just got mixed up in something I wasn’t prepared for. I ended up being coerced into an auction. Though truth be told, even I’m unclear of who put me there and how much the establishment knows. Every time I complained when I was being kept, I was told to be patient and reminded of a consent form I’d signed."

She looked down at her hands trying to recall the incident. “I don't remember any of it.”

“How terrible.” he said in a tone laced with concern. 

“It’s fine. What happened to me doesn’t matter anymore. I’d rather we dropped the topic, if you don’t mind.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up something painful. I would’ve thought you’d chosen to be in that profession...but I was wondering why, seeing as you didn’t seem to enjoy it.” He leaned back in his chair and sipped his tea.

‘Of course he would think that’ she told herself. He had taken part in purchasing her, he had trusted in the legitimacy of the establishment.

“I’m sorry. Please don’t let my account disturb you, the other girls there all joined of their own volition. I can confirm that much. Though they can be a bit bitter about it being one of the few jobs available to a latent criminal, they aren’t doing anything they didn’t agree to do.”

He seemed to relax as she spoke. “That’s good. I don’t usually purchase this kind of service. This is my first time. I usually just go there to meet a friend, maybe read, or drink. I was afraid I’d done something terrible.”

Kougami raised an eyebrow again, but this time because she was almost amused by him. “I’m not entirely convinced you haven’t, Shibata-san. To be honest, I find you a very suspicious person, and I get the feeling you’re hiding something from me.”

She was smiling when she sipped her coffee, but he didn’t laugh as she expected him to.

“I apologize, Kougami-san. The truth is, I haven’t been entirely honest with you.”

She braced herself as he put his cup down. She put her own mug down and looked at his solemn expression. ‘Ah, here it is,’ she thought, he was going to tell her just how messed up he was. Her mind’s eye was already on the door when he placed his hands on his lap.

“Kouzaburou Touma…” He said, taking a deep breath, “I...know of him. He was a fellow teacher at my school.”

She froze.

“....what?”

“I apologize. I thought you two wouldn’t tell me what happened if you knew that I was one of the teachers he’d worked with, so I pretended not to know.”

Kougami’s eyes narrowed. “So that’s why you were so invested. He was your friend.”

“Hm? Oh, no actually. Well...Somewhat. He was also an interesting fellow, but we weren’t close. He was friendly, and he lent me books now and then, but that’s about it. He’s not come to work in a while, and the staff didn’t know why. So when I heard his name…”

She sighed. “You couldn’t help but listen in. You’re quite the gossip, Shibata-san.”

He pondered this for a moment before speaking. “Perhaps I belong to this one half of the human race, in whom the curiosity the other half feels about the people it does not know, is replaced by an interest in the people it does.”

Kougami raised an eyebrow at him again. “Curiosity is only vanity. We usually only want to know something so that we can talk about it.”

Yukimori’s smile deepened. “Is that Pascal? I’ve half a mind to quote Ortega, but I’ve got a feeling that was said more in jest than as an actual criticism of my demeanor.”

“It was a criticism. Did you just quote Proust in casual conversation? It’s terribly annoying.”

He shrugged. “If you limit your actions in life to things that nobody can possibly find fault with, you will not do much.”

“Now Carroll?! That’s too out-there, you just like annoying people!” She laughed.

A bemused smile crept onto his face. “I see. So you can laugh, Inspector.”

Kougami’s laugh cut off and she glared at him. “Of course. You’re the one that laughs too much. Also, I’m not an inspector anymore. Calling me that will only upset me.”

He raised his hands in mock defeat. “I apologize. Would you like me to pour you some more coffee, Kougami-san?”

She handed him the cup wordlessly.

She didn’t quite understand why she laughed, maybe it was just refreshing to talk to someone so effortlessly unconcerned. It may have been a bit annoying, but it was neither cautiously reserved, nor dangerously overt. Lately, that’s all that words seemed to be around her.

Certainly words could be something more?

As he poured her coffee, she searched his hands, his movement, his eyes. She searched for some kind of telling detail that would reveal what his intentions truly were.

“I suppose I might be wrong about my quoted introspection,” Yukimori said suddenly.

She eyed him in confusion. “About my curiosity,” he explained, holding out her cup to her, “It is true, I’m curious about Touma-san, whom I thought I’d known well enough to vouch for. But I’m equally curious about you, of whom I only know the way of writing the name.”

She smiled politely. “Ask what you want, Shibata-san,” she said as she took the mug in her hands, “I’m yours for the week.”

“I’m yours too. Feel free to ask about Touma-san. I’ll see what I can find out, even if I have to sneak around to learn more.”

The careless act of offering a helping hand felt almost intentional and split Kougami’s senses into two.  This man threatened to lull her senses, she couldn’t afford to be trusting anymore, yet somehow his demeanor made it feel too easy to do so.

She sighed.

Whatever it was that Shibara Yukimori intended, he was her ally for now whether she trusted him or not.

 

 

March 23, 2110. [02:35 PM]

“Kougami is?!” Aoyanagi cried.

Akane couldn’t help but fidget at the rise in his superior’s voice.

A second later she burst into laughter and the others in the room turned around to look at her.

“Ao-san? Whatisit, whatisit? Something about Kougami-san?” Hinakawa asked. “Did you guys run into her?”

Aoyanagi smiled. “Yeah. It seems she wants to investigate our cases, though she’s a civilian at this point.”

“Heeh? She doesn’t change does she!” She laughed.

“Amari-san, you know her?” Akane asked.

“We used to be in the same division.” Hinakawa beamed, “She was really nice to Hina!”

“I see.” Akane smiled sheepishly. Aoyanagi hadn’t told him, and she didn't seem to mention Kougami’s current status to them either. Perhaps it was best that way.

“Tsunemori-kun, I’ll forward your request to the director. I think I might have too much personal bias to make a proper decision. The director asked to see me anyway, so the timing is perfect.”

“Thank you, Aoyanagi-san.” he smiled.

Aoyanagi left the room and Akane was suddenly painfully aware of everyone looking at him. He immediately felt a bit awkward, knowing they were about to ask him about Kougami when he didn’t know how to answer.

“Ne, Inspector Tsunemori, what’s Kougami-san like now? Is she doing well?” Hinakawa chirped.

“Well, she hasn’t changed much, I guess. She’s still as sharp as she was when I knew her.”

“Inspector, you knew Kougami-san from before?” Torii followed up.

“She was a sempai during my studies. We weren’t close, but she was very helpful during that time, so I remember her.”

“I see, it’s such a shame she retired before you could work with her, Inspector.” Kozuki added. Hinakawa laughed, “Now that I think about it, you and Kougami-san feel a bit similar, Inspector!”

Akane shifted uncomfortably. “W-we are? Well… I guess I can’t tell. I don’t really know what she’s like anymore.”

Torii stroked her chin as she regarded Akane. “Hmm….I can sort of see what Amari means. You’re not that much alike, Inspector, but it may just be that you both seem very open.”

Akane laughed awkwardly, blushing a little. “Should I take that as a compliment?”

“Not in this job.”

Akane’s heart sank just as fast as it had been lifted.

Not long after, Kozuki looked up to see Aoyanagi back at the doorway. “Inspector Aoyanagi, is something wrong? Did you get scolded?”

“Of course not, don’t be annoying. The director just wanted to ask about how Inspector Tsunemori was doing. I mentioned Inspector Tsunemori’s request, and she asked me to send him up immediately.”

“M-me?”

“Maybe she’s considering it but wants to hear you explain further? Good luck.”

Akane bowed courteously at Aoyanagi and excused himself.

He was visibly nervous and both the enforcers and inspector Aoyanagi couldn’t help but feel a little amused by his demeanor.

On the way up to the director’s office, Akane rehearsed what he was going to say in his mind. He suddenly felt a little audacious making such a request when he was only two months into the job-- He silently prayed that he had done the right thing.

He took a deep breath before entering-- As the doors slid open, Akane felt the air grow heavy as he took in the feeling of importance that the office held. The space was already large, but the cityscape in the window made the room seem so vast. “Inspector Tsunemori reporting, ma’am,” he saluted.

“Inspector, come in,” the director invited.

As soon as Akane stood closer to the table, the director looked him up and down with a stern expression. She adjusted her glasses and sat upright in her chair.

“I heard that you requested to share information on the specimen case with a civilian named Kougami Shinya. I understand of course that she is a former inspector, but I also know that she has recently been diagnosed as a latent criminal. For what reason do you think she is trustworthy?”

“Ma’am, she is currently employed in the same establishment as one of the victims. It is also the same establishment Inspector Ginoza and his team are currently investigating. With her skills, and her current position, I think she can provide unique insight and intel.”

“The case has been declared closed and unsolved, Inspector. There is no need for further insight or intel. The sole suspect has gone missing and the killings have stopped.”

“Yes ma’am, but Kougami-san believes that there was another man involved. She already knew one of the victims personally and was present when the body was discovered-- She is already involved with the case. I believe that there is minimal risk and a high potential gain from sharing information with her as long as the information is not classified information on ongoing cases.”

Director Kasei’s expression did not change, but her eyes seemed to regard him more intently.

A silence drew out, and Akane was barely conscious that he was holding his breath. It was only when the director finally spoke that he breathed easy again.

“Alright,” she said, “There was never a policy against outside consultants. Kougami Shinya proved herself to be a valuable inspector, perhaps she will now prove herself to be a valuable outside source.”

Akane relaxed, and bowed politely, smiling. “Thank you, ma’am.”

The director smiled back. “Inspector,” she said, “You are responsible for discerning what information she should have access to. I’ve high hopes for you.”

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”

Akane turned to leave, missing the director’s eyes shimmer with a blue, inhuman light.

 

 

March 24, 2110. [07:48 PM]

“Kougami-san,” a familiar voice called.

The music of Utopia blared as Yayoi played on stage. He sometimes did, when they let him-- As long as the music had been approved. When Yayoi played, intoxicatingly loud music filled every corner of the room, and because of that, it wouldn’t have been surprising if Kougami didn’t hear the voice that called to her.

Yet, she had, and she turned around to find Akane waving at her.

He was still in his office attire, though he wasn’t wearing the jacket. Not to mention he had a file case with him, so he stuck out like a sore thumb. She walked to him briskly, scanning the room making sure they weren’t drawing too much attention. “Inspector, what are you doing here?” She whispered.

“Sorry, I won’t stay long, but I have some good news,” He smiled as he handed her the file case.

Kougami’s brows furrowed in confusion, but Akane saw her eyes widen as clarity dawned on her face.

Kougami took the files in her hands and opened them with haste. Nothing had even been redacted, it was an account of all the information they had regarding the specimen case.

The sight of Kougami feverently scanning the documents seemed to lift a weight from Akane’s heart. It wasn’t exactly a good thing, but he was certain it was better than the lifeless fague she seemed to be in last they’d met.

“Kougami-san, let’s sit down.”

They sat in one of the nearby booths as Kougami looked through them. She was hardly reading, she was only taking it in. It had information on each death and each victim. There were photos, autopsy reports, information on the chemicals, and transcriptions of witness accounts.

She looked up at Akane, a worried look on her face. “Tsunemori, is it really okay for me to look at these?”

He nodded, “And keep them, of course. I’ve been given permission...no, the responsibility to update you on this as I see fit. The case is closed so it’s not priority, but feel free to ask me for more information whenever I visit. I will do my best to accommodate you.”

Kougami smiled at him, a heavy smile full of guilt and gratitude. He believed her. She talked big but there was really no reason to believe her. Yet, Akane believed her...and so did Yukimori.

“Shibata-san….” she muttered.

Akane blinked back. “Hm?”

Yukimori was more involved with the case than they’d known. At the very least he knew Touma Kouzaburou. She had to tell him. But if she told him, what would Yukimori do? If he found out, would he become hostile? Or hurt?

Kougami’s hands felt weary as she lowered the files. She took out a cigarette wordlessly, steeling herself.

She took a long drag looking at Akane’s concerned, perplexed expression.

“Inspector,” she breathed out, the title lingering with the smoke, “I have to tell you somethi--”

“Tsunemori Akane.”

Speak of the devil.

He smiled as he approached, his jacket slung over his arm. “I’m surprised to see you here. Paying our friend a visit?”

“Shibata-san, it’s been a while. Are you doing well?” Akane greeted. “Yes, thank you. You as well, I hope?” he returned. Akane nodded.

Yukimori caught sight of the files on the table in front of Kougami.

“I see.” he smiled, “You managed to get her information as she requested. That’s great news.”

Kougami tensed, it was too late to hide them. From his perspective it may have seemed that she was selling Akane what he’d told her in confidence in exchange for information.

Kougami frowned feeling defensive. “Shibata-san, I-”

“Oh, have you told the inspector what I failed to tell him before?”

“Eh?” They said in unison.

Yukimori regarded Akane with an apologetic smile. “I apologize, Inspector. I wasn’t completely honest with you that first night we spoke. My interest was not merely that of a witness, but as an acquaintance. I teach in the same school as Touma Kouzaburou. I was curious as to how he was involved.”

“I see. I’m sorry, it must’ve come as a shock to you, for someone you worked with to possibly be behind these crimes.”

“It was, but I appreciate you telling me as much as you did. I hope it’s not much trouble that I got myself involved.”

“No, of course not. However, I’m afraid what I’ve told you is all I can share. From now on Kougami-san will be acting as a consultant, so we can’t involve you any further.”

“Of course, I understand.”

Kougami stared at both of them, baffled. She felt a distance erupt between herself and the two of them, so casually speaking with good will and politeness.

She caught herself in a loop inside her mind, back to the same thoughts she’d had only nights before. Renewed paranoia and revisited dismissal.

Shibata Yukimori was probably just a customer, a lonely school teacher, nothing more. He would talk to her until his curiosity was satisfied, and that would be the end of it. Tsunemori Akane was a well-meaning Inspector with a great sense of responsibility and a kind heart. Once he relieved himself of his guilt, he would be gone too.

“Kougami-san, shall we?” Yukimori interrupted.

Kougami sat up and gathered the files. “Right, just let me put these away.”

“Bring them with you if you like. You can go over them at my place, I’ll just read.”

She looked to Akane for approval. He nodded, proving once again that the malintent was likely all in her head.

She sighed. She smiled. “Thank you again, Inspector.”

And she left.

 

 

March 30, 2110. [07:58 PM]

Aoyanagi sipped her coffee without a sound as strangers walked by, lights reflecting off the window glass, obscuring her face. She was in a booth facing away from the door so she didn’t see Ginoza when he came in. Still, she did see the clock, and it had just turned eight o’clock, and as expected, even on short notice, he was right on time.

“Aoyanagi, thank you for meeting me.”

Aoyanagi smiled at him. “No problem. I haven’t seen you in a while, so your invitation was a welcome surprise.”

Ginoza raised an eyebrow, looking guilty. Aoyanagi tilted her head in curiosity, and a knowing smile spread across her lips. “Oh, I see. It’s about work. Go on, sit down. Order some coffee. Let’s talk.”

“Have you had dinner?” He asked as he called a waiter-- Aoyanagi nodded.

When the waiter arrived, Ginoza ordered himself a sandwich and some coffee. He looked rather thin compared to when they last met, and Aoyanagi suspected it had to do with the stress of his work.

As soon as the waiter was out of sight, Ginoza turned to Aoyanagi with a stern expression. She sighed, “Alright, Gino. What is it?”

“What are your thoughts on Tsunemori Akane?”

 _Oh._ She thought, trying not to smile at his protectiveness. “He’s a good Inspector. Still a little green, almost naive even. Still, very competent and reasonable when spoken to. He’s not the type to do anything sneaky, or anything he hasn’t thought through carefully. Don’t worry.”

“I see, so you know.”

“Of course I do. Do you think he’d do anything like that without the director’s permission? He’s a newbie, y’know!”

“Yes, that’s true. I suppose… But why did the director approve of this? There can’t be much benefit researching a closed case.”

“I’m guessing it’s because it’s still unsolved, and it doesn’t cost us any of our manpower. Touma Kouzaburou is still missing, and it's only been a few months. As long as Tsunemori only attends to it on his free time and monitors Kougami’s involvement, there isn’t much reason not to let him. They’ll be the only ones chasing a ghost, and the rest of us can stay out of it.”

Ginoza was clenching his jaw, Aoyanagi could see it. When the waiter arrived with his food, he ate it quietly, like a child throwing a tantrum.

“Ginoza,” she sighed, “Kougami made this choice herself. What’s wrong with letting her pursue it? I’m almost relieved, honestly. I thought she had changed a lot, deciding to stay at the club, not becoming an enforcer. But she’s still the same old Kougami.”

Ginoza paused mid-bite and put the food back down on the plate. “She’s not, actually,” he said, his voice suddenly losing its edge which melded into sadness, “Kougami… I don’t quite know how to put it, but she’s become sort of dark.

She just doesn’t seem open anymore. Not just to me, but with everyone. She hasn’t been training or eating much, but she smokes maybe twenty cigarettes a day. She never slept much, but nowadays she looks like she doesn’t sleep at all. Sometimes, I catch a dark look in her eyes. Like she’s angry, but she doesn’t know why. Other times, they seem to glaze over, like she’s not really there.

And now… She’s got this strange customer who buys her exclusivity but doesn’t sleep with her, and he and Tsunemori both seem to encourage this… This delusion that this other man exists! I can’t help but feel that all of this business is just digging her a deeper grave!”

Aoyanagi watched as Ginoza clenched his fist and furrowed his brow. He caught himself, took off his glasses, then cleaned the lenses then put them back on.

“Sorry.” he said after a long pause, “I suppose I’m too personally involved.”

Aoyanagi gave him a sympathetic look. “You can’t help your personal feelings. Kougami is… She’s more than a friend to you, isn’t she?”

Ginoza stared into his cup, his frown uncertain and pensive, his eyes searching as if the answer were there.

Whatever feelings he might’ve had, they were unrecognizable at this distance.

He drank and swallowed his thoughts. He looked at Aoyanagi and put the subject behind them. “I’m sorry I called you at such a late hour. I’ve probably made you uncomfortable… I meant to talk about work, not our personal lives. You can leave if you want to.”

She sighed, then drank the rest of her coffee, and stood up.

“Y’know, Ginoza, she is a latent criminal now, so the distance you put between the two of you is reasonable. It’s responsible. I don’t blame you.”

“Is that experience talking?”

She smiled a sad smile at him. “We’re not here to talk about our personal lives.”

Ginoza watched her as she walked away, both forgetting to say goodnight.

He ate the rest of his meal in silence, watching the figures pass him by, lights reflecting off the window glass and obscuring his face.

 

 


	9. Remedy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The writing within is not reflective of, encouraging nor discouraging any particular moral stand or value. It is meant to be artistic and experiential and open to interpretation and considered thoughtfully, reflected upon. A.K.A. I'm not telling you what to think or do reader, I'm telling you a fucking story."
> 
> Kogomi: EEEEEYYYYY WE’VE GOT OURSELVES SOME NICE CONSENSUAL SMUT. On a more serious note, we like reading books a lot. Hit us up with recs lol.  
> Matrashima: In case you’re curious, I think Makishima would’ve found Fahrenheit 451 amusing more than anything. Shake his head, then nod at the ending.  
> Kamuimi: Loosen up, Kouchan. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
> 

April 18, 2110. [11:43 PM]

Kougami couldn’t help but stare at the ashtray on the table as she put down the files beside it.

“Do you smoke?” She asked.

Yukimori came in with the usual coffee and tea. “Smoke? No, why do you ask?”

She lifted the ashtray up to him in confusion. “Oh, that,” he said, a laugh at the edge of his tone. “I noticed that you’re almost always smoking at the club, but you never smoke here. You’ve looked kind of restless. I thought maybe it was because there was nowhere to smoke?”

“Shouldn’t you be asking me to quit?”

“You’ll quit if you want to.”

She raised an eyebrow at him-- He shrugged and turned away, predictably at this point.

Kougami had figured him out. After the many weeks that he renewed his purchase, he hadn’t once touched her. Sometimes he would ask her to refill his tea from across the room. Sometimes he refilled her coffee for her. Sometimes he would lend her a book and ask her to read it, then the next night he would ask about what she thought of it.

 _I bought your time, not your body,_ he’d said.

To summarize, she thought, it wasn’t that he wanted her company because he was lonely. He wanted her company because he was bored.

Somehow she had landed herself in the position of being his newest fascination--this platonic interaction was not born out of consideration, but out of disinterest.

She fiddled with the ashtray in her hands. Resigned, she gave a soft chuckle and shook her head. “Thanks.” she mumbled, putting it down.

She opened the window and lit a cigarette.

Tonight she was going to go over the files she had asked Akane to get her. She looked at the stack of files. There wasn’t much to go through--Tsunemori said he would only give these for now, since it was all he could clear himself before he gave them to her.

She glanced around the room, suddenly realizing Yukimori wasn’t there. The door to his bedroom was open. His cup wasn’t on the table. He was staying in his room tonight.

She sat down on the chair by the window this time, so that the smoke could easily drift out of the room. She leaned her head back and stretched against the backrest, settling in.

She began looking through the files, previous solved cases, hoping to find another that might suit the profile. A crime that demanded a middle man, or any open and unsolved case. She wrote notes on a pad, specific cases she wanted to revisit, ideas she got as she read them, and key details that struck her for no reason.

She needed to return most of the files, so she made note of which ones she wanted a copy of from Akane.

She had already gone through several files when she ran out of coffee. The clock proved that some time had passed. She’d been so invested in her work, she hadn’t even noticed. ~~~~

She went to the kitchen to refill her mug.

As she gazed at the coffee machine and fiddled with the cigarette in her hands, she thought about how this place had, without thinking, become a place that welcomed her.

Yukimori himself, became a man that welcomed her.

True, he was already friendly and accommodating, but it only made her more wary of him. She just couldn’t ignore the prickling feeling in her chest every time she’s reminded of such warmth.

It really has been a while since she’s been treated kindly by a stranger--that was probably why she used to feel so uncomfortable around him before.

Though she knew otherwise, it had felt like every stranger had become dangerous and menacing. She always thought of the ulterior motives they could possibly possess. Such a cynical thought, but these days, it’s much more easier to doubt than trust.

Others though, had varying ways to prove her wrong.

Yukimori had actually taken the other route, and instead of befriending her, he had focused on merely clearing himself of animosity.

He didn’t touch her, he didn’t judge her, he didn’t reject her thoughts and he tried to make his own apartment familiar for her.

As she filled the cup, she wondered why she let him do that. She wondered if he’d meant to do that. She wondered what it meant if he had--the silage of coffee woke her from her reverie.

She went back out to the living room and saw Yukimori’s silhouette against the window. He was standing there, looking out at the cityscape with an air of contemplation--drawn closer, a pensive expression that graced his features came to light. ~~~~

She eyed the files, frozen. Had he looked at them? Was that what he was after?

He seemed to sense her and he turned to look at her. “Oh, there you are.”

“Where else could I be? The bathroom here is in your bedroom isn’t it?”

He smiled. “Have you read the book Fahrenheit 451?”

She shook her head as she sat down across him. “It was written by a well known sci-fi writer, wasn’t it?” she asked.

“Yes. I just finished it, and I was curious about your thoughts. I’ll lend it to you.”

He handed her the book. It was first edition, as he seemed to love collecting those. It featured a man in print caught on fire, standing wearily on a pile of books. How very like him.

She eyed the pile of files to see if it had been looked over. He chuckled. “I didn’t touch them. I’m not supposed to, remember?”

“You don’t strike me as the kind not to do something just because you shouldn’t.”

“How perceptive.” he smiled childishly.

He sat down and drank his tea as Kougami resumed looking through the files.

At one point he seemed to fall asleep, much to her surprise.

She then realized that she never saw him sleep before.

When did he sleep? What about work? What a strange man, she thought to herself for the nth time.

She drew the smoke from her lips gently, smiling. She was half tempted to puff smoke on his face and wake him, but that was the kind of thing he would do, not her.

 

 

April 21, 2110. [4:43 AM]

Kagari was about to sleep when she thought she heard a clatter.

She turned down the volume of her game and pulled off the covers. She opened the door and listened.

She was certain she’d heard something. She took a guess and went to the break room and saw Hinakawa crouched over a drawer on one of the cabinets.

“Hina-chan?”

She nearly hit her head on the cupboard when she stood upright. “Ka-Kagari-neesan… Sorry, was I noisy?”

“No, but what are you doing here so late at night…”

Embarrassed, Hinakawa seemed to shrink away, but Kagari gave her a look and she knew she should just spit it out. “I..l-lost some of my medication. I can’t sleep without them…”

Kagari sighed. Ginoza had gone home and the current handler on duty wasn’t as kind to them. Hinakawa would have to wait for the morning.

“What kind was it, can’t you just use something else for now?” Her tone was laced with concern.

“They were… Anti-depressants… Just a mild relaxant, with something to help knock me out…”

Kagari clicked her tongue. She didn’t have any of that, unfortunately.

She eyed her friend, suddenly noticing that her fidget held some hesitation. “What is it?” Kagari asked, “It’s alright, spit it out.”

After a short silence, Hinakawa decided to answer, but avoided eye contact.

 “K-Kagari-neesan...do you...y’know..have s-some toys I could maybe play with? Just to…maybe, uhm, relax myself. I-it’s not the same but...I-I dunno s-sometimes… It helps…”

Kagari’s eyes go wide, then she smiles, then laughs. “That’s quite the home remedy you have!”

Hinakawa shrinks away, “S-sorry, kind of a weird request, huh? I’ll just--”

Her words are cut off with a sweet but sudden kiss from her friend-- the warmth surprised her but, she welcomed it without a sliver of doubt.  

Hinakawa stares back blankly at a sly grin. “How’s ‘bout I do you one better and relax you myself, hm?”

The saffron haired girl brushed her fingertips across Hinakawa’s bare thighs and her legs squeezed together instinctively, the sensation tickling her and making her blush.

“I-It’s okay, you don’t have to trouble yourself… You were sleeping, weren’t you?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, I was awake. It’s fun for me, too.” Kagari chirped--a bright smile painted across her face.

Hinakawa’s eyes peeked out from behind her bangs shyly. Betraying her words, they seemed expectant.

“Do you really… Like it, too? I always thought… It was just me… And you were just being nice…” Kagari didn’t answer with words, instead taking her face in her hands and kissing her again, groping her soft, shapely ass.

Kagari was smaller than Hinakawa, so she had to tiptoe a little, which was a pain. Without releasing her from her kiss, Kagari led Hinakawa to the table and had her sit, the redhead’s round thighs wrapped around her friend’s slender waist.

Hinakawa trembled as Kagari’s hands trailed down from her face to her breasts-- She massaged the circumference and fondled her, somewhere in the back of her head she was a bit jealous of how big they were.

Right now she was just going to appreciate it.

Kagari massaged her sides as she pulled away from the kiss to suck on her taut nipples. Hinakawa’s hand then came up to mouth, and she bit her finger, trying to keep her mewls quiet.

Kagari tugged on the rim of Hinakawa’s underwear, making her clench a bit-- Slender fingers dipped into them and she massaged her clit, which made Hinakawa buck as it made contact.

In almost no time at all, Kagari could feel Hinakawa getting wet, her thighs clamping hard around her, trying in vain to close her legs from the pleasure.

This sensitivity was Hinakawa’s charm, she was sure. She moved and hummed under Kagari’s touch, writhing a little, her hips dancing as her fingers inched in. She liked it slow.

A small whimper escaped her lips. “Hm…?” Kagari asked. “M-more…” Hinakawa plead quietly, “More… Put more fingers inside m-me…”

Kagari took a sharp inhale. Kagari couldn't help but wish she had a dick to put in and she laughed a little. She put in a third and fourth finger and massaged her insides. Hinakawa shook and her torso fell forward to rest on Kagari.

“Hina-chan, touch me too.” Kagari whispered. Hinakawa’s fingers clumsily found their way into Kagari’s shorts from behind, and as she put her fingers in, Kagari’s voice came out in a breathy sigh.

Kagari pulled her shirt up so their skin would touch. They rubbed against each other and kissed, moving their fingers around, shivering.

Hinakawa’s clumsy movements made it hard for Kagari to catch rhythm between them, each unexpected touch sending a jolt through her body. She kissed her, sweetly, greedily tasting her friend’s cold, sweet, stimulated skin.

“I’m…” Hinakawa breathed.

In turn, Kagari slowed down, pressing her gently. Hinakawa bit her lip as she came slowly. When she turned her head, she saw a figure by the door.

Her hand came up to her mouth in a gasp. “K-Kougami-neesan…!”

Kagari turned to look at the doorway and saw Kougami frozen there, wide-eyed. “Uhm….sorry for interrupting,” she muttered and turned and left in haste.

“Ahhh, Kouchan hold on!!” Kagari called out. She quickly followed her out into the hall and thought twice before grabbing her arm, wiping her hands on her shirt as she pulled it down.

Kougami turned around, a little paler than usual-- Kagari could only imagine that this was how children looked like if they caught their parents having sex before learning about how babies were made. 

“Kouchan, relax, uhm, hey… Why are you freaking out?”

Hinakawa came running up to them, her breasts still exposed. “K-Kougami-neechan….!”

“Ahh, Hina-chan, pull your shirt down!”

Kougami drew her eyes away. “Uhm, sorry, I didn’t know you guys were like that…”

Kagari turned to look at Kougami and tilted her head. “Huh?”

“That you were… Together. Y’know.”

Kagari took a pause then laughed, while Hinakawa smiled. “Well, we kind of are I guess but like...Kouchan, we’re just friends. I was sorta just… Helping Hina-chan out.”

“Kagari-neechan is really skilled.”

Kougami inched away from them.

“Aw, c’mon Kouchan we aren’t going to do that with you. We know you still have a problem with it.”

Kagari regretted her words the moment she’d said it. Kougami wasn’t scared without lack of trying to overcome her fear, and her expression at that moment told Kagari that she was frustrated that she hadn’t yet succeeded.

Although it wasn’t as bad as before, proximity to other people always put her a little on edge. Whenever Yukimori simply sat anywhere near her, she’d feel herself tense and get nervous.

She glanced up at her two coworkers and saw the comfort between their distance. She envied them.

“Kouchan…”

She pulled away from Kagari and gave the closest thing to a reassuring smile she could muster.

“I’m fine,” she said, “I just got back and was wondering what the noise was…. goodnight, you two.”

Kougami left the two, and as Kagari’s brow furrowed in concern, the yawn Hinakawa had been stifling finally broke through.

 

 

April 25, 2110. [5:45 PM]

“His name is Kanehara Yuji,” Aoyanagi explained. “It took us a while to find him, but it seems that he’s been trafficking drugs on a small scale. The drugs are psychotropic in nature, but highly concentrated and seem to be a bit of a neurostimulant as well. They’re quite dangerous, but very effective.”

“It’s unlikely that he concocted it himself,” Akane added. “Did we get any information about the developers of the drug?”

“It took a while for him to recover but eventually we got him to talk. Sadly all we could get was the description of a man with short, dark brown hair and brown eyes in a pharmacist’s uniform that gave him the drugs he sold. We have an image of him on surveillance, but we can’t seem to match his face on any databases.”

An image came to the screen and Akane took a sharp breath.

“What is it inspector?”

“That man… I remember him from the night of the last specimen case. He had sedated and dragged away a man who had been acting a bit violently. I tried to stop him, but I lost him in the crowd.”

“This is bad. It may be that he was using those same drugs on that man, as an experiment. We’ll try searching the footage of the Pharmaceutical building and asking around,” Aoyanagi smiled. “Good memory, Inspector.”

Akane smiled at the compliment. “Now that the case is partially solved, I will request the director if I can give Kougami-san a report. If the two cases are related, it might prove helpful to Kougami-san’s investigation.”

Aoyanagi doubted they were related, but she appreciated Akane’s efforts. “If you’re going to pay them a visit, send Ginoza my regards.”

He smiled and excused himself, and though no one said it, everyone wished him luck as he left the room.

 

 

April 25, 2110. [8:10 PM]

Akane sat at the bar eyeing the young gentleman who was serving him his drink-- He had short silver hair, and a familiar bulky metallic bracelet. Ginoza was undercover here along with two enforcers. Could he be one?

Kurata noticed him staring and sighed. “What is it, never seen a latent criminal before? I’m not gonna infect you or anything, just go on and enjoy yourself.”

“Uhm… Are you familiar with Ginoza-san?”

Clarity dawned on Kurata’s face and he nodded to himself. “You’re that inspector.”

“Eh--” Akane fidgeted and looked around him. “No use worrying now,” Kurata added. “I heard it that night you chatted up that white-haired guy and Kougami-san. It's not that weird y’know. We are an honest establishment after all. We still get investigated sometimes, but also we get guys like you as customers.”

Akane paused a moment and picked up on it. He was indeed the undercover enforcer with Ginoza, but he wasn’t unwilling to chat with Akane as long as he didn’t blow his cover.

“What’s up, you waitin’ on that Kougami?”

Akane nodded. “I just wanted to ask her a few things. Is she here?”

“She’ll be out soon. That white haired guy comes to pick her up around this time.”

“Oh, I see. Thank you,” Akane smiled.

Kurata raises an eyebrow at him as he drinks his cocktail.

“So you must be the inspector that's been coming in.” A soft voice regarded. Akane turned to see a sharp looking man with neat brown hair having a drink a few chairs away from him. “You shouldn’t be waving that information around,” he continued, “some people here are insecure about their hue.”

“Excuse me, I didn’t mean to,” Akane apologized.

The man smiled politely. “It’s quite alright. To be honest, I’m a little relieved. I was just teasing.”

“Eh?”

The man stood up to move to a seat closer to Akane. “Shady characters like that are likely to come here, but knowing even honest men like you come down here assures me I’m not strange.”

Much to Akane’s surprise, the man extended his hand for a handshake. “It’s nice to meet you, my name is Tamagami Hanzo.”

“Tsunemori...Akane. What do you mean by that I assure you?”

“See, I used to hold a position in the MWPSB as well. A minor desk job. I managed paperwork mostly, never hit the field. It was getting quite scary, so I ended up quitting. Still, being part of that and going to places like this, I felt a bit self conscious.”

Akane sighed in relief. “I see.” Akane was worried that he was also a former inspector, and that he would end up getting caught into another strange personal investigation.

“I hope I’m not intruding. I admit, I’ve been a bit curious about you since I first saw you here.”

Akane shifted a bit. “Uhm…”

Hanzo raised a brow and got back to his drink. “You have quite an imagination, Inspector. I don’t mean it that way.”

Akane gave an awkward laugh. “I didn’t mean to presume, it’s just the location…”

“Of course. I was kidding.”

He didn’t look like he joked much, though. Yet he seemed to? “What were you so curious about, Tamagami-san?”

“What you’re like, for one. What kind of man takes a job as an inspector, finds his way to an establishment such as this, and makes friendly chatter with latent criminals?” at this he eyed Naoto, who ignored him, “But in the first place, what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to help a friend. She works here, you might’ve known her, Kougami Shinya?”

“No, I’m afraid I don’t know her. Sorry.”

“I see. She’s in a complicated situation right now and I can’t go into detail, but I’m trying to help her."

“You two must be quite close.”

“Not really, actually…” Akane admitted with an apologetic expression.

Naoto couldn’t help but butt in at this point. “Ah, ah," he sighed, “you’re taking on too much. What are you doing in this line of work, Inspector? You’re too naive for a job like this. Better jobs must’ve been available to you? Safer ones too.”

“...there were quite a few. In truth, I got an A-rank assessment for all thirteen ministries and six companies.”

Naoto’s jaw dropped. “Thirtee--then what are you doing with the CID?!”

“Well, in the other positions one or two others were in the same rank as I was but...for applicants at the CID, I was the only one. Three hundred student applicants, and I was the only one, y’know? I thought…maybe there was something only I was capable of doing in this job. And maybe find out why I was born… Here and now.”

Naoto stared at him incredulously, flashing back to a female inspector he used to work for. They were similarly pretentious and lofty.

Hanzo seemed to watch the words linger in the air. “The reason we are born… Here and now, you say? And something only you can do.”

“Please don’t quote me back to myself. It sounds a bit embarrassing to hear.” Akane laughed.

“Oh, I don’t know. I think it’s quite noble of you to seek the truth of your own existence. Though I admit, I don’t think the CID was the right place for you to do that.”

Akane flinched. “What do you mean?” He asked, though in truth he somewhat knew.

“The reason your aptitude was the highest is probably because the requirements of the job were much lower than you thought. In truth inspector, isn’t your job of little aptitude and of high risk? You only need to find the target, Sybil will pull the trigger. You Inspectors and Enforcers walk a tightrope, when really you’re just tools.”

The words cut like a knife.

Akane had silently been mulling over this in his mind, and had taken comfort in the special case he’d taken on for Kougami. He felt very much apart from the enforcers with their keen perception and instinctive deductions. He didn't feel much like a tool as he did like a spare part.

“There must be something,” Akane said, partly to himself as much as to Hanzo, “Right now I don’t know what it is but…there must be something only I can do. If there isn’t anything yet, then I’ll have to create that something on my own.

...I’m sure that if I keep doing my best at my job, and try to better understand it’s purpose, then someday, I will find that something. In a way, I’m already the only one who can help Kougami-san at this moment... ”

There was a quiet moment in which the two men in Akane’s company could only stare and wait for more, but nothing more came. Akane took another sip and glanced around for Kougami, his eyes clear, concerned, and transparently desperate.

In this system of suffering, Hanzo wondered, what purpose could such a sensitive man find in maintaining its order? He wondered what he would do if he knew its secrets.

Just then, his wrist communicator beeped with an incoming message.

“Excuse me,” he said as he stood, “I must go. It was interesting speaking with you inspector. I hope I catch you again, here in Utopia.”

Akane smiled at him and said nothing.

The moment Hanzo stepped out of the club, he took a turn into the alley and adjusted his holo. He called the woman who’d sent him a message.

“What is it, Mizue?” Riku asked.

“I just wanted to see you…” she sighed. Riku smiled. “I’m on my way.”

 


	10. Valium on the Pequod

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The writing within is not reflective of, encouraging nor discouraging any particular moral stand or value. It is meant to be artistic and experiential and open to interpretation and considered thoughtfully, reflected upon. A.K.A. I'm not telling you what to think or do reader, I'm telling you a fucking story."
> 
> Kogomi: So much tension. Just fck already. JFC.  
> Matrashima: *sexy digital sax music* existence is suffering. Everybody, bleed.  
> Kamuimi: *Sips tea* Everyone needs to get laid.

 April 30, 2110. [01:18 PM]

_…ever since that almost fatal encounter, Ahab had cherished a wild vindictiveness against the whale, all the more fell for that in his frantic morbidness he at last came to identify with him, not only all his bodily woes, but all his intellectual and spiritual exasperations. The White Whale swam before him as the monomaniac incarnation of all..._

Makishima heard a door open and close outside his room, and looked down at his book again.

_...incarnation of all those malicious agencies which some deep men feel eating in them, till they are left living on with half a heart and half a lung. That intangible malignity which has been from the beginning; to whose dominion even the modern Christians ascribe one-half of the worlds; which the ancient Ophites of the east reverenced…_

The door outside seemed to fly open again. The sliding door was thrown open, the frame making a sound that painted the image of it rebounding against itself, once again reverberating in his head.

There was no sound of shattering glass, so he paid it no mind. She had grown irritable. He went back to his book.

_…reverenced in their statue devil; -- Ahab did not fall down and worship it like them; but deliriously transferring its idea to the abhorred white whale, he pitted himself, all mutilated, against it. All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up…_

There was a feint but heavy sound of the chair grazing the floor--pushed as it seated someone. Though unheard, he knew she was smoking, her leg shaking in impatience, and her brow furrowed in frustration.

He shook his head and went back to reading.

_...all that stirs up the lees of things; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in M..._

It was silent but he paused, his mind turning to the door.

He drew breath and stopped--he was too distracted to read.

He lowered the thick hardbound to his bedside table, marking his spot a few paragraphs before with his bookmark.

He opened the door and saw the precise image he’d envisioned-- Kougami’s head hung low, staring at one of Tsunemori’s reports.

It was something she’d gone over before, an unsolved crime. It had nothing to do with him, and the expression on her face made it obvious that she knew that too.

She placed it down on the table with a weary expression. Leaning back, she pulled the cigarette from her lips, emptying herself in a lengthy breath filled with smoke. She seemed to sense him and glanced his way.

“Is everything alright?” He inquired, raising an eyebrow.

“Perfectly. So perfectly. I’m so certain he’s in here somewhere, but everything is so perfectly alright that I feel like I’m chasing a ghost. I can see the shadows he might be hiding in, but there’s no flashlight and he won't come out. He’s not even trying to hide.”

He, in fact, was.

Makishima knew he was playing a dangerous game with the ex-inspector, and he’d kept away from activities for a while.

Kanehara couldn’t be helped-- He’d heard that he had been apprehended, but he CID couldn’t yet find Otsu Kyohei. Makishima suspected they never would.

Though not one to be cautious at all, Makishima wasn’t reckless. Until he saw an opportunity, until something caught his eye and struck him with inspiration, he was going to simply be Shibata Yukimori-- Teacher, friend, patron of club Utopia.

Makishima eyed the fresh cup of coffee he assumed she’d just poured herself-- It was already almost empty again. He sighed and took it to the kitchen for a refill.

“Has it never taken you this long to finish an investigation during your career?” He called out from the open door.

“It’s not that it’s taking so long… it’s just how elusive he seems to be, and…”

He paused to listen, but no words came. “...and?”

“I’m not sure. It’s a persistent feeling, but I’m not sure what it is.”

He came back to her with her coffee, and she nodded in thanks. He sat across her, the citylight on his back. He watched, curious.

“Would you like to try a little thought experiment?” He suggested.

Kougami eyed him from behind her mug. “Okay, I’ll bite. What kind?”

“Just hypothetical scenario… here, close your eyes. I promise I’m not going to touch you, it’s simply for immersion.”

Kougami seemed hesitant but visibly relaxed when he said so.

She put her mug down and her cigarette on the table. She leaned forward on her knees, closing her eyes.

With her eyes closed, the world shrank into a nothingness in which only the minute sounds of the outside city and her client’s voice existed.

“Close your eyes,” the voice repeated for good measure, “imagine that you’ve found him. You know his name. You’ve cornered him. The two of you are alone. What do you do…?”

“I….”

She spoke softly. Unsure, she tried to picture it. A man? Of what age? Or countenance? A figure. A shadow...just a few feet away from her.

“I walk towards him,” she said, now with certainty, “His back is turned. He didn’t expect to be found.”

“What do you have with you?”

“Nothing.”

“No weapons? What do you expect to do?”

“I don’t know but…”she breathed, the frustration building in her, “I don’t know, but I can't let him get away again.”

“But he’s right there. Are you going to arrest him?”

“I’m not an inspector, I can’t…” she said through gritted teeth, “the CID won't make it in time. They’re going to let him get away again.”

“But what can you do?”

The words rang in her head. The question she didn’t know she was avoiding. What could she do, investigating him? Even if she found him, could she really convince the CID? Would they dismiss her?

The question echoed in her voice within her mind. What can I do?

“I…” she answered,

“I… reach out to him…

and…--”

“--open your eyes.”

Kougami opened her eyes to find her hands clutched around Yukimori’s neck. Her fingernails digging into his skin, his trachea forming a solid bump beneath her palms, she hadn’t quite yet wiped the feral expression off her face. He was perched on the edge of the table between them, right in front of her. When had he moved?

“So,” he said with a smile, “how did it feel?”

The sound of his voice seemed to wake her. She pulled back in horror, her hands shaking.

“I--I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...not to you…”

“Of course not,” he said with a laugh. “Still… strangle him, eh? Can you even do that?”

The shaking had barely gone down when the question registered. “What?”

“Could you strangle him? Could you fight him?” He leaned in closer, and in nearly a whisper he asked, “Could you even get close enough to kill him before he kills you?”

Kougami eyed him, and for a moment he wondered if she had put it all together. But no, the look on her face was not revelation, but a mix of resignation and distress.

“Kill him…?” She muttered. The thought hadn’t occurred to her, not really, not so loud and tangible as it did that moment.

Now that it had, she wondered if she was even capable of taking someone’s life. Not to mention that if she did it on her own, Sybil wouldn’t be there to make sure she was doing what was right.

She would look into Makishima’s eyes, and kill him of her own volition. For her own reasons.

The thought frightened her… But it didn’t deter her.

Such thoughts aside, a more physical fear, the instinct to survive, reared its head and screamed at her.

She didn’t know if she was even physically capable of subduing such a man.

She cursed herself, realizing that she had been so uncomfortable in her own body these days, she had forgotten how to use it. Were she to encounter him as she was, he would be on her heels, a knife to her throat before she could even call for help.

“You’re right,” she said, drawing back to reality, “you’re right, I doubt that this Makishima will be easy to take down. I have no reason to think he’s physically adept, but it would be wise to assume 

She sighed a deep sigh and dropped her head in her hands.

“You know...” he began, “I could help you with that. I can get you a trainer.”

Kougami looked up at him, incredulous. “You want to hire me a trainer...so I can beat up a guy and maybe kill him?”

Makishima shrugged. She could try.

“Those are your emotions speaking right now, maybe by the time you’ve found out who he is, you will have better understood what it is you want to do. Or maybe he’ll be dead. Maybe he’ll get caught. Who knows. Still, a sound mind lives in a sound body as they say. Why not sharpen both?”

Kougami raised her brows at him. “Why not--... phew, well… I mean I haven’t...really spent any of what I’ve got from this job, I… when would I even train?”

“When you’re with me. There is a gym inside this building. Just a few floors above. You won’t trigger the alarm as long as you don’t leave that vicinity.”

Kougami shook her head, a smile at the edge of her mouth. He must’ve been joking. But he didn’t laugh.

Her face settled into reflection as she leaned back again. “I suppose… It might help.” She turned to look at him.

“Thank you,” she told him.

He only smiled in response, and he wondered how Senguji might react to this request. She eyed their knees, almost touching in their proximity, wondering at the odd rhythm coming from deep inside her chest.

 

 

May 10, 2110. [04:56 AM]

Kougami didn’t even notice that they had arrived back at the club until her patron broke the silence.

As Yukimori stops the car, he looks over at her. “Are you sure you’re okay, going in like that?”

She catches herself staring and looks at where he’s looking. The bruises from yesterday's training were showing. The makeup she had used to conceal it must’ve washed off in the shower, and now patches of swollen skin promised new bruises later that day.

“It’s fine,” she almost laughed, slipping on a jacket to hide them. “If anyone sees them, I can just tell them the truth. I just don't want them to worry over this when nothing’s wrong.”

He smiled. “Alright then. Goodnight, Kougami-san.”

She smiles. “Goodnight, sensei.”

The sky was already hinting at sunlight as she stood at the doorway to the club.

She watched him drive away before going inside.

The moment she opened the door to the back hall, Ginoza stepped out from one of the rooms.

“Kougami, you’re late,” he said in his stern tone.

“I thought it was fine as long as we were back by five.”

“That change in policy almost seems to have come around just for you. I can’t help but feel it’s also a reason for me to watch you more closely.”

She sighs. “Whatever. If you say so. Well, I’m back now, how’s about letting me through to my room? You’re blocking my way.”

“Hold on--”

As Kougami tried to step around Ginoza, he grabbed her arm right where the bruise was. Although it didn’t hurt too bad, she couldn’t help but hiss at the dull pain.

Ginoza let go, but eyed her suspiciously.

“Take off your jacket.”

“I’m fine.”

“In this institution it is my job to keep you in line, and to take care of you. Basically, I am your superior. Take off your jacket.”

She took a deep calming breath but did as he asked.

The dark purple and yellow spots that littered her frame gave him flashbacks. The placement of the bruises told him it was from struggle, maybe even a beating.

“That guy… Why didn’t you tell us he was--”

“It’s not what you think. He...He’s lending me a trainer. I haven’t been taking care of myself since I got sold off and honestly, training is helping me deal with things. I feel better, my body feels lighter, and contact doesn’t bother me as much…”

“He’s...training you? Like... teaching you to fight?” Ginoza seemed to not believe it, a laugh sat at the back of his mouth. “There are better excuses out there than--”

“It’s not an excuse, I’ve been training again. I know it sounds strange but take a good look at me. My appetite is coming back, I don’t feel quite so lethargic anymore--”

As she spoke Ginoza looked her over and did notice that she looked better. Her makeup had washed off, but there was some color in her that wasn’t there for a long time.

Her bones didn’t seem to jut from her skin, and she seemed to have put on some weight again.

She was looking at him in the eye again. Not with the listless, nervous eyes that she’d worn the last time he looked.

These eyes looked clear, almost determined-- Tired but alive.

“I don’t trust him,” he said dismissively, interrupting her, “Purchasing you regularly and keeping you til the latest possible time, do you expect me to believe he hasn’t done anything to you?!”

“He really hasn’t. Is it against policy for him to do these things for me?”

“Whatever he’s doing, he’s not doing it for you! Open your eyes, Kougami, you can’t be this naive. He’s buying you, he doesn’t care about you. He’s just another creep with too much cash, and a twisted sense of enjoyme--”

“Shut up!!”

She growled as she shoved him, slamming him against the wall. Ginoza’s glasses hit the floor. In the shock of Kougami’s actions, he didn’t even check if they’d cracked.

Kougami seemed remorseful, similarly caught off guard by her own violence. Her face felt hot, and she wasn’t sure if she was just mad, or if there was more. She picked up his glasses and handed them to him.

“Don’t be so judgemental. He’s done a lot for me. Don’t you think I’ve been suspicious, too? It’s just paranoia. He’s been nothing but kind...overall.”

Ginoza eyed her for a moment and took the glasses. “He’s going to dump you the moment he’s tired of you,” he mumbled, cleaning the lenses and avoiding her gaze.

“Don’t put your faith in him, Kougami. He won’t be there when you need him.”

“Like you were?”

Ginoza looked up to protest, but Kougami was already walking away. She disappeared into the dark of the corridor, and Ginoza stood wide-eyed, paralyzed by the bitterness of some volatile mix of emotions.

 

 

May 10, 2110. [09:30 AM]

“Akane, are you alright?”

“Why do you ask?”

“You look kind of...tired.”

Akane sighed. “You can tell?” He whined.

Kaori shook her head. “I may not have seen you in a while, but it’s apparent on your face. Those dark rings around your eyes aren’t a fashion trend.”

“Kaori, aren’t you looking too closely?” Yuki pouted. Kaori rolled her eyes. “Ugh, don’t make me regret coming to see you both. You’ve only been dating a few weeks. You’re being ridiculous.”

Yuki stuck her tongue out at her friend and squeezed between them as they walked.

Huddling close, she turned to Akane with a frown. “Akane, if you have problems tell me, not Kaori.”

“Don’t be hyper-possessive. C’mon, Akane, what is it? Your hue is clear, right? What is it, the hours?”

“Not exactly,” he sighed again, “I just feel a little… Redundant in my job sometimes. It was overwhelming at the start, and I can’t help but feel like I still haven’t picked up.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… On a day-to-day basis it seems like I haven’t really found my niche in the workplace, nothing I can contribute in any spectacular way. I have a special assignment too but, the person I’m in charge of is a little hard to deal with.”

“In charge of?” Yuki raised a brow, “Like protective detail? Are you a body guard?”

“No, well… If anything it’s like I’m supervising them… But somehow I feel like I’m just getting dragged along. I can’t really tell if I’m doing a good job or not, and I feel like no one sees any merit in it anyway.”

Kaori gave a suspecting smile. “It sounds like a complicated problem. Is it possible you’re simply overthinking?”

“Does it seem that way to you?”

“Our jobs aren’t quite so complicated,” Yuki teased, “Akane, I’m sure you’re doing well. You took this job because you wanted to do good things, right? As long as you keep working with that in mind, I think you’ll be doing good things.”

Akane could only smile as Yuki clung to his arm. He wasn’t completely settled on his feelings since she confessed to him, but at this moment, outside the office and in her company, the words she said were exactly what he needed and he felt better.

Kaori caught the smile between them and made a face. “Alright, you two love birds, I have to get going,” she said with a wave, “you two can continue this little private date of yours.”

“Huh? K-Kaori?” Akane stuttered, but before he could even protest, Kaori was heading off to the train station.

“What was with that protest? You don’t want to be alone with me?” Yuki pouted.

Akane laughed awkwardly. “To be quite honest, I still feel a bit self-conscious around you. Does it bother you?”

Yuki smiled. “Not really. I think it’s even a bit cute.”

“Are you teasing me? Is it fun to watch me squirm?”

Yuki pulled Akane aside around a corner in an alleyway. She kissed him softly, wrapping her arms around him.

Akane’s heart fluttered, and he felt the blood rush to his face. He held her, then kissed back.

“What’s this all of a sudden?” He asked.

“You worry too much. You should have a bit of mischievous fun now and then.”

Yuki brought her hands down to Akane’s zipper and he gave something of a yelp as he turned beet red. “Hold o--what are you doing?! We’re still outside!”

“Because you’re with the CID now, you’re so hyper-conscious about being a respectable man. It’s going to weigh on you more. You need to let loose!”

He relaxed a bit, recognizing she was probably right. “Am I that tightly wound?”

“Like a knot. Akane, don’t forget to enjoy the things you’re trying to protect.” He smiled and pulled her close by her waist, kissing her deeply, his hands tracing the spine of her back down to its base.

Yuki flushed, and drew out a warm sigh. “Yeah, just like that.”

Yuki went for Akane’s zipper again, but this time he didn’t stop her.

Her fingers dipped into his underwear, the cold tips brushing against his warm skin. It felt good, but unfortunately, not that good.

Somehow, he could tell that this would go nowhere.

He let her keep trying for a minute as he kissed her, focusing on the hot breath that mingled between them, but then he stopped and frowned.

Yuki looked at his face and laughed. “No good?”

“Sorry… Maybe I’m just too stressed. I’ve still got a shift later today.”

“Alright, alright,” Yuki said, taking her hands out of his pants and zipping it up again.

“Are you upset with me?” Akane asked.

“There you go again, worrying. Of course not, I’m fine.” Yuki gave a sympathetic smile, and it quickly shifted into a grin. “I know, how’s about I come over later tonight?”

Akane smiled.

He kissed her, sweetly, gently this time.

They peeked out of the alley before stepping out and held hands before they parted ways for work.

 

 

May 27, 2110. [02:36 AM]

“Kagari, Hina…”

The two girls looked up to Kougami at the doorway with raised eyebrows.

“Have you ever… I don’t know, had a customer that hesitated about touching you?”

Kagari snorted. “No. Who would approach you and then not wanna do it? Especially a piece like me.” Hinakawa just smiled at Kagari, and then shook her head at Kou.

“I dunno… performance anxiety…? Or like… Their first buy?”

“Well if it’s their first purchase, yeah… You just gotta remind them they payed so they should get their money's worth. If they really don't want to then, hey, take a nap or something. Eat their food. Take a hot bath.”

Kougami furrowed her eyebrows, seeming unsatisfied with the answer. “Don’t you like doing it? You and Hinakawa?”

They looked at each other and gave a nod.

“How do you get the other to do it?”

Kagari raised an eyebrow. “There's no special technique, we don't make each other do anything.”

“But how do you get the other to want to do it?”

“Is this job advice you’re asking for? Don’t feel pressured Kouchan!” She told her with an impish smile, “Just milk that white haired guy for all he’s worth and take your time and--”

“No, it’s okay…” She interrupted,“I’m not...I don't feel pressured I think I’m just...curious.”

Kagari and Hinakawa’s eyes lit up and Kougami visibly seemed to turn red. “Nevermind…” She said with a sigh and turned to leave.

Kagari and Hinakawa practically leapt after her.

 


	11. The Wolf in the Shepherd’s Den

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The writing within is not reflective of, encouraging nor discouraging any particular moral stand or value. It is meant to be artistic and experiential and open to interpretation and considered thoughtfully, reflected upon. A.K.A. I'm not telling you what to think or do reader, I'm telling you a fucking story."
> 
> Kogomi: *plays 'Careless Whisper' for le readers*  
> Matrashima: *smiles*  
> Kamuimi: Kou has a heart of a maiden. So good to tarnish. *Slapped*

June 03, 2110. [12:44 AM]

“You sure are hard at work.”

The voice echoed in the room, trailed by the sound of rattling chains holding up the punching bag that swung and shifted around from Kougami’s blows.

She held the punching bag in place and turned to see him.

She had a faint glow on her face, flushed from the physical activity and she hoped it would be enough to mask the faint sense of blood rushing to her face.

“Yukimori-san, what are you doing here?” She asked, out of breath.

“You spend most of your time here now. Though I’m glad to see you up on your feet, it does get a bit lonesome.”

“Sorry. Do you want me to come up?”

“No, please continue,” he smiled.

Kougami scrunched her nose at him but then he laughed and sat himself against a wall with mirrors. He waved a book at her, as if to say ‘Oh, don't be shy, I’m just going to be quiet and read,’ which somehow only irritated her more.

She then walked to the bench nearby, to dry herself off and to drink water.

“No trainer today?” He asked.

So much for quiet.

“No, they left. Said I could keep practicing if I wanted to. So I did.”

“Hmm…” He hummed then opened the book before him.

She eyed him in her peripheral, his face half-hidden behind a brown hardbound book. He made no point to hide, though, that his eyes remained focused on her.

She decided to ignore him, and started up one of the dummies. It had been a while so she tried not to increase the difficulty level too much.

As the holo turned on and the timer was set, she backed up to prepare ample space between her and the dummy. The dummy took its stance and planted its feet and so did she.

It charged at her and she managed to dodge. She struck him as a follow through. But then it landed a good counter attack on her side, and she barely evaded the second strike.

She turned a heel and tried to kick it, but it sidestepped and tackled her with its shoulder.

Reeling from the impact, Kougami managed to plant a foot and not fall, but it hurt.

Yukimori continued to watch intently and she could feel his eyes on her.

She pushed herself up and kicked the dummy in the stomach, offsetting its balance and in turn made it land on its back.

She smirked at the opportunity. Yukimori noticed.

She held it down and punched it-- Over and over for a while, not realizing the dummy had already recognized its defeat and shut down. She landed blow after blow, Yukimori could almost imagine the blood her target could be choking on if it had been human.

It took until her own knuckles stung for her to realize she was just wasting her energy.

She got up as the holo fluctuated and disappeared.

Kougami wiped the sweat off her brow with her arm, and took a deep breath-- She wanted a smoke.

She then frowned, waiting for a while and turned to Yukimori.

“What is it?! Why are you staring?!”

“I was just thinking…” He said, standing up without missing a beat, tucking his book under his arm and walking to her, “you seem... a little angry. Are you picturing him?”

“What?”

“Makishima. Are you imagining that it’s him you’re fighting?”

Kougami couldn't help but smile and shake her head in disbelief.

She sighed and walked over to her things then took out a cigarette.

“Why do you ask?"

So she doesn't deny it.

“Just curious.” he shrugged, “As I said, you seemed a little angry.”

She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s not that I’m angry. I just don't want to hold back. Not in a fight. Whoever my opponent is, I doubt that they’ll hold back.”

She turns from him and takes a long drag and breathes it out. “I don’t have a Dominator anymore. I have nothing to defend myself with. Only my body. I need it to be strong, and I need to have the will to make it strong.”

“The weaker the body, the more imperious its demands,” he says.

She shakes her head with a chuckle, “The stronger it is, the better it obeys.”

She turns and eyes him incredulously. His smile only widened.

She feels that odd flutter again, and nearly chokes on the smoke in her throat. He was over a foot away, but he was too close.

“You’re annoying when you quote.” She says, forcing out the smoke.

“It’s kind of fun annoying you.”

“Are you a five year old?” She retorted.

“I have a youthful spirit.”

She frowns and turns away again, putting out her cigarette.

“Hey, Kougami-san, why don’t we try sparring?”

She turns back to him. “Wha-you’re kidding, right?”

He shrugged. “No.”

“I may only be starting again, but I’m not just swinging punches hoping it lands. I’m not gonna fight you when I’m not sure I won’t hurt you.”

“Same here. Do you think I just happened to know a trainer without having any training of my own?”

“You seem like the self-study kind who just likes knowing a lot of people.”

His smile widens again.

“Stop that.”

“Come on…” he teased, “If you want, we can bet on it if you like.” She raised a brow at him.

“With what? I have nothing to give you that I won’t give if you asked. And there’s not much more else you can offer me than what you’ve given me already.”

“A debt, then. A favor? Or how about you give me your full attention one of these nights, we’ll talk about whatever I want.”

“If I win do you stay quiet and leave me alone all night?”

He laughed and stepped back, dropping his book onto the bench and settling into a stance. “It’s a deal.”

She shifted into a stance mirroring his. So he knew silat? A man of many strange interests. Kougami took it up because Sasayama recommended it.

Kougami took the first swing and was taken back when Yukimori dodged with ease, ducking right past the punch.

He caught her arm in his grip and threw her straight into the floor using her own momentum. Too shocked to really be in pain, she laid still for a second before getting up.

She shook it off, loosening up. “Best two of three.”

He shrugged and settled into a stance again. She did too.

She watched him carefully. He was fidgeting a bit in place, not to strike, but to react. He was watching her.

Just as she figured that out, he shuffled close. She defensively blocked her face but he suddenly dropped to the floor and swept his leg right under her feet.

She fell on her back, but she rolled up into a crouch before he’d even fully stood up. As soon as he did, she tackled his midsection, knocking the breath out of him and sending them both down in a heap.

She pinned him down, wide eyed and determined to win.

He simply laughed, despite the pain. “So aggressive.”

He crossed his legs over her waist, and twisted his body. Kougami lost her balance and suddenly the roles were reversed. “Do I win?” he asked, breathless.

Kougami wanted to protest, but suddenly she felt very vulnerable.

He was strong and well built. She never noticed that before.

She felt all his weight looming over her, and her arms were in his inescapable grip.

Yukimori saw the look in her eyes and the smile melted off his face. He sighed and got off her.

He extended his hand to help her up, and Kougami took it.

He could feel her hands shaking.

She then stood inches from him, her eyes downcast, her breath still panting.

As the sweat dripped off her brow and her breath rasped out, he stood silently, and waited for her to let go of his arm.

Seconds turned into minutes. Her breath slowed, but the shaking didn't stop. She felt more frustrated now than ever before, and she wondered if she might cry from it, but she didn’t.

“I’m tired of being scared…” she mumbled in an uneven voice.

He couldn't hear.

She looked up at him, a stern look on her face, recalling what Kagari had advised her.

She stepped close to him, as close as she could without touching him. Her hands unsteady, she lightly touched his other arm and drew her face closer to his, waiting.

He only stared, his expression watchful, but unchanging.

They stood like that, motionless for who knows how long. The humm of the lights seemed louder than their breaths, the idle equipment seemed to be dancing compared to them.

Kougami started to panic. Had she done it wrong? Had she upset him? Did he not want her?

But he hadn’t looked away, and he didn’t stop her advances… what was it?

He was first to cut through the silence. “Is that all?” he asked.

Frustration rose up inside Kougami and pushed her that final inch.

She shut her eyes and pressed her lips against his against his so hard she might’ve felt their teeth clap. But she pulled back, and tried to kiss him properly.

She touched his lips gently with hers, awkwardly trying to find that right sense of contact. Her hands were still shaky, but her back was straight.

She breathed slow between the two of them and opened her eyes just soon enough to see that he was only just now opening his too.

He smiled at her. “Is that all?”

The words turned her cheeks into a shade of pink. She didn’t think she could pull off any of what Kagari had instructed to do after that.

“No…” is all she said, her hand tightening around his arm. He laughed.

In one swift motion, as if she weighed as little as she had months ago, he lifted her into his arms.

He cradled her like a bride, and if she wasn't so nervous, she’d have told him to put her down.

“Let's continue this upstairs,” he told her.

Kougami shrank in his arms, but didn’t look away. She nodded at him-- Putting on a brave face and so, he carried her like that into the hall.

 

 

June 03, 2110. [01:28 AM]

Somehow, he managed to open the door to his bedroom without putting her down.

He acted like he wasn’t interested in such things, but was he actually experienced?

As the door opened, he carried her in feet-first through the threshold. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, but she tried to steel herself and acted calm.

Abruptly, he dropped her onto the bed.

“You’re heavy,” he grumbled, stretching his back.

“You didn’t have to carry me!!”

“You didn’t ask me to put you down.”

She wanted to protest, but she felt embarrassed. Admittedly, she didn’t want him to. It was easier for her that he carried her here. She didn’t want her fear to best her, and she didn't want for him to see her freeze up in that fear.

She turned her attention to the room instead. On the wall to the right when they entered, she saw mostly bookshelves again.

This one was almost full-- Beside it, a door to the bathroom. Behind her on the opposite side of the bed was mostly windows, save a bedside table with a lamp and a hardbound book at its base.

She looked down at the sheets beneath her. White and soft.

The bed seemed large enough for two. Had he really lived here alone?

A sound of cloth hitting floor then disrupted her observations-- She looked up to find that he’d unbuttoned his shirt and taken it off.

His pale skin in the fluorescent citylight from the windows cast his figure in harsh definition.

He was more built than she’d expected, but not enough to particularly call him muscular. More than anything, he was lean, like he hardly ate or did anything at all. Almost as if he’d grown the muscle he had with nothing but books and tea. Perhaps he had.

He caught her looking and raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing? Are you into doing it totally dressed?”

She wasn't. Actually she could feel her alarm rising. Seeing him in this light, his face was too vague, his body too vivid. He suddenly seemed too strong, and she was too weak. It didn't matter if she was fully dressed, she felt naked and she felt scared--

Before she could even react, he was at the bedside, turning on the lamp.

“Hey, it’s just me in here,” he soothed, taking her hands in his, “we don’t need to do this if you don't want to.”

She felt herself relax.

“No it's okay. I want to.”

_As long as it's you, it's okay. I want to._

He smiled at her, bemused. Pressing his lips close to her ear, he whispered “How about I cash in my prize now? Tonight, tell me everything. What you like and what you don’t.”

She pushed him off, her ear feeling hot. “I don’t--No, I don't want anything… anything specific.”

He frowned for a moment then understood. “Could it be that aside from...your professional work...you’ve never…”

Kougami shrank back and hid in her knees. “No.”

He bit his lip trying not to laugh. “Then you have no idea how good this can feel. Tonight, I’ll be your introduction.”

He sat upright and dimmed his lamp.

“Sex is as important as eating or drinking, and we ought to allow the one appetite to be satisfied with as little restraint... or false modesty as the other.”

She knew he was quoting something but this time she didn't know what. All she knew was that his face was still clear enough to see, but it had a dim orange glow.

His eyes stayed on her as the light deepened, and at its lowest she saw those eyes come closer. “The moment you feel scared, or uncomfortable, tell me. I’ll stop what I’m doing and try something else. But...If you like what I’m doing, tell me, and I’ll make sure to remember.”

Kougami only nodded in response, and he flashed her an impish smile.

He moved close, kissing her gently, trying to remove her clothes without letting her feel his skin on hers first.

A breath escaped her lips-- She pulled away only to let him take off her shirt.

His hand touched the side of her face, his fingers combed through the tangle of her hair.

The touch was good, it was gentle. She felt safe. Was this what it was like to have sex?

She hadn’t noticed that her pants were down to her knees. She shrank back a little, not too uncomfortable, but suddenly conscious of herself.

She let him strip her down and heard the soft thump of her clothes falling off the bed. His hand, now on her shoulder, lay her down on her back.

His lips moved their attention from her lips to right under her chin. It tickled her, and she squirmed, but it didn't feel bad. But when his lips made their way from her ear to her neck, it began to feel even better.

Her fingers spread and clasped the sheets.

She felt him smile on her neck, then something damp ran across her skin with his breath. She shivered. He nipped and kissed it. Sucked on it. Licked it.

Kougami bit her lip. She felt strange. Her heart raced and her legs crossed over each other.

He held her arm, and she visibly tensed. “No?” he asked.

She didn't want to say no, afraid that saying no to something so simple so early would kill the mood… but a deal was a deal. She shook her head. “Sorry, no.”

“How’s about this?” he asked, letting go, instead, lightly touching her with his fingers. She didn’t flinch away. If anything it felt nice, too.

He nodded as if he understood something.

He continued to kiss her, brushing the back of his hand along the length of her arm. He traced a line from the hollow of her neck to the hollow of her chest with his fingers, and circled them around her breast.

Kougami’s hand instinctively came up, ready to push him off, but she liked the feeling and tried not to. When his fingers brushed against her nipples, the strange feeling came back stronger.

This was sex. She was sure.

She flinched, but didn't push him away. She found it assuring that he hadn't stopped, thinking this must mean it was normal to react that way to what he was doing. She worried when he stopped kissing her neck, but then his tongue went where his fingers had been, and she moaned.

His fingers went lower, and her breaths became shorter. She shut her legs tight, but his hand didn't go that far. They hovered just between her navel and her crotch, massaging something there that made her want to open her legs up again.

Eventually, between the sensation of his lips nibbling her breast and of his hand on that space, hot and out of breath, she did.

She watched him, nervous about what he would do, but he kept going a bit more. Her legs felt shaky, opened up like that, and something else felt impatient.

Biting her lip, her legs quivering, she stuttered, “Wh-what’s next?”

He raised his brow and smiled at her. “Do you want more?”

She slapped him. “Don’t toy with me!” she whined. Even in the dim light she could tell, the slap hadn't wiped the smile off his face.

He turned to her, his hand still resting on her body, the skin under it hot and restless, gently moving with her breath.

“I’m just asking, because I want to do what you want,” he said.

It occurred to Kougami, then, that this was a stupid idea. That her affection was all in her head, and that Yukimori was just a ridiculous customer. Still, the thought was too quiet, and she still felt herself quivering. Her body gave out.

She tried to frown but it came out wrong. In a forced whisper, “Yeah, I...want more.”

“Okay, sit up a little.”

She did as he asked, leaning against the headboard and closing her legs up again. He shook his head. He crouched down in front of her. “Open up. I promise I won’t put anything in there.”

Satisfied with the promise, she opened up. She felt her face go red and shut her eyes. It was never her choice until now, what she did for someone with her body. Not like this.

Yukimori slung her legs over his shoulders. Kougami thought that would bother her, but somehow it didn't. Yukimori seemed happy about that too.

When his lips touched her there, she felt her legs close, but he held them apart-- Her hands went up to her mouth. She started to breathe with her voice.

Her toes curled when she felt his tongue slide through skin she didn't recognize. He sucked on something, teasing it. He hid his teeth in his lips and bit down, and she felt her hips buck into his mouth.

“Ah…! Ahhh… Nnn...hh..haaah!”

She could feel something wet dripping down to her ass and onto the sheets.

She opened her eyes, and was surprised to see how she moved, and how good she felt moving like that--or was she moving that way because it felt good?

A mess of white hair was whispering between writhing legs-- He turned his head on its side and they made eye contact.

His eyes seemed to smile as he drew his tongue out for her to see, dragging it slowly over her clit.

She yelped as she came seeing him lick his lips.

She didn't even know she came, because he ducked between her legs again before she realized it, working what he could with his mouth.

It felt so good, Kougami didn’t ask anything, didn’t stop him. She just threw her head back, her fingers spread against her neck. She tried to keep her voice down, embarrassed by the sounds she was making.

Overwhelmed with the attempt, her own movements, and the sensation that didn’t stop, the words devolved into rasping vowels in her throat.

She came about two more times before her exhaustion put her to sleep.

 

 

June 03, 2110. [04:15 AM]

In the the kitchen, he drew in breath from his nose as he poured himself some tea.

The ringing stopped as someone picked up.

“Hello?”

“Choe Gu-Sung. I didn't realize you hired virgins.”

“Hm? I sold her off on a bid for that, y’know.”

“I thought you were lying,” he scoffed. “Well I guess they do have an appeal.”

“...well, now. Makishima-san, could it be that my employee has gotten over some trauma?”

“You’re sharp.” he smiled, “that being said, she’s not bad in bed. It was fun. I was getting a little bored. Seen anything interesting?”

“Afraid I’ve been caught up in research. The CID seems to be on the trail for some isolated cases of terrorism, so they're on high alert. I don't recommend we get too adventurous.”

Makishima frowned.

“Now, now, just be patient.”

He smiled. “You know me too well. Oh, I think I hear…”

He switched the comm off before she fully turned the knob. Looking dazed, and panicked, she seemed relieved and confused seeing him there.

“Good morning.” he greeted, sipping his tea. “Coffee?”

“Yukimo...good...uhm...I’m sorry about last night.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “What for?”

“I didn't do...I didn't really do anything. You ended up doing everything yourself...were you able to uhm…” He watched her fidget, pushing her bangs away and then fixing them back in place, hiding in the robe he’d dressed her in as she slept

“I mean... was I able to satisfy you in some way?”

“Oh that,” he said with a nod, “Don't worry I finished off inside you while you were asleep.”

“What?!”

He laughed. “I was joking.”

She hid her forehead in her hands, cooling off the heat in her face.

He poured her coffee with a smile.

This was fun, too.

 

 

June 10, 2110. [11:48 PM]

There was no one in the park, but they definitely saw the woman in holo come here.

Shisui had only brought Yamatoya along. Her fingers tightened around the Dominator in her hands-- She didn't know what was happening, in the chaos of the events tonight, she was certain she lost some comrades to the enemy.

She took deep breaths, calming herself and eyed the enforcer close behind her.

In the distance, she saw a brick tunnel and as she approached, she watched in horror as her eyes adjusted to the light and saw twenty-something bombs lining its walls.

But just as she raised her Dominator, the bombs fluctuated and disappeared. “Holo…?!” she gasped.

“The fact that something is false does not negate its existence.” a soft voice called.

Shisui squinted at the figure in the shadow. It had stepped out from the shadow, and fluctuated as well. Far from hostage, the woman seemed to be an accomplice. Perhaps worse.

She didn't have time to properly aim her Dominator, and the woman stood inches from her before jabbing something into the Inspector’s neck.

Shisui felt her system go into shock, everything went on high alert and just as quickly everything dropped and her body slacked. Her senses swam, her throat ran dry, her vision blurred. She focused on holding onto the dominator and on the woman...no, the man.

It was a man. A man was holding her in his arms.

“You guys failed to recognize that,” he’d told her, “That is why I'm here.”

The man kissed her gently, the lips felt familiar and it confused her. She heard a scream, and with conscious effort she realized that it was Yamatoya aiming at them. Why didn't he fire?

Shisui struggled in the man’s arms, watching in a languid horror as the man beside her twined his hand around hers, cradling the trigger of the Dominator with her.

He raised her Dominator and aimed at Yamatoya.

“Stop it…” she muttered.

“Crime Coefficient over three hundred”, the automated voice warned, “aim carefully and--”

She could hardly hear the voice of their Goddess of Justice through the sound of her subordinate’s painful scream. They saw him torn apart down the sights of the lethal gun, and the blood rained down in a splatter-- Bathing everything within the vicinity in crimson.

She shivered, hot tears streaming down her eyes, the floor fell away beneath her. She had killed him.

The man holding her turned to face her, and his face softened.

“Calm down, Mizue.”  he cooed, “Deep breaths, like I told you.”

“Riku….?” she sighed. Giving in, she heard no answer, and saw nothing. Her body fell lax and Kamui carried her away.


	12. Meat on a Weighing Scale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The writing within is not reflective of, encouraging nor discouraging any particular moral stand or value. It is meant to be artistic and experiential and open to interpretation and considered thoughtfully, reflected upon. A.K.A. I’m not telling you what to think or do reader, I’m telling you a fucking story.
> 
> Kogomi: Hello, sorry for the delay. I've been slacking off and letting the other two authors handle the updates for quite sometime now. Hopefully, I can be more useful for on the next chapter and get back to drawing some chapter art! *bows*
> 
> Matrashima: I tried my best to make this as visceral in text as it looked in my visual mind. Sorry that we haven't been updating. Kogomi got a job, I just started my masters and am looking for jobs, and Kamuimi is dying from work too. We'll keep updating, though it might take a while for the chapters is all.
> 
> Kamuimi: June 11, 2110. [09:31 AM]. THAT'S MY JAM. *Laughs to oblivion*

June 03, 2110. [03:27 PM]

Kagari came into the back room with a stretch and a groan. Her last client the night before was rough and demanding and she still felt a bit sore. 

The small waft of wet steam greeted her, along with the sight of Hinakawa sitting at the table enjoying a bowl of hot rice sprinkled with supplements. 

“Got any of that for me, Hina-chan? I could use a few uppers,” Kagari yawned.

Hinakawa nodded with a small smile at pushed one pillbox forward. Kagari had just grabbed a bowl from the cupboard when Kougami walked in.

“Did you just wake up? You’re up late, Kouchan. Want some food? I’ll cook something if you like.”

Kougami nodded weakly and headed to the table. 

The two girls watched as she seemed to drag herself across the room with sleepy eyes, tucking herself into a chair, clasping her hands, and resting on her elbows.

Kougami had a cigarette in her mouth but it wasn't lit.

Kagari raised an eyebrow at Hinakawa, and Hinakawa blinked back with a shrug. Kagari stuck her tongue in her cheek and squinted at her friend’s raven hair, especially tousled this morning, and her pallor just a little more flush than usual.

She walked to the table and put the bowl down as she leaned in to take a closer look at Kougami. She sniffed the air around her theatrically and frowned in concentration.

Kougami shrank back, “W...what…?”

Kagari’s eyes widened at the hoarse voice. “You had sex last night!!” She shrieked.

Hinakawa’s hands clasped over her mouth just as Kougami’s went over Kagari’s. The excitable redhead couldn't be silenced and a high-pitched hum was still loud enough to fill the room.

“Kagari, calm down! Do you want the whole building to hear you?!” She hissed.

Kagari slapped Kougami's hand away. “I don't give a fuck! I’m right aren't I?! You had sex!!”

Kougami went red all the way to her ears, and that was all the confirmation the two girls needed. Kagari pumped her fist in the air, hardly stifling a victory cry. She and Hinakawa sat back down and inched closer to her, both at the edge of their seats, attentive as two pups watching their master cook. 

“Tell. Us. Everything.” Kagari beamed.

“I mean…” Kougami started, shyly rubbing her arms as if the room was suddenly colder than it was. “The truth is, I’m...I’m not sure we actually… Did have sex.”

The two girls looked at each other in confusion. “Not sure...like…?” Kagari started, “Don't tell me... You just kissed? Kouchan that's not--”

“What do you think of me, of course it was more than that…”

Hinakawa pondered. “Did you sleep through it?”

“I was awake!”

“Kouchan, you need to be more specific. What do you mean you're not sure?”

Kougami bit her lip, not sure how to explain. “We… didn't actually...y’know, there was no… I did what you told me to, that first bit, but then I…”

“He didn't put-- He didn't put… It… In there.”

Kagari raised her eyebrow. “So, what, did he put it up your butt?”

At that moment, Kougami slapped her hands over her face and wished she hadn't mentioned it, but it was too late. “No… Just…” she gripped the air, searching for words, “he used his mouth.”

Hinakawa nodded in revelation, but Kagari’s eyes widened in disbelief. “He went down on you? And nothing else?”

Is that what it was called, Kougami wondered. “I guess. I mean he… Kissed me and touched me and stuff, too. But that's as far as he went.”

“For how long?”

“Does that matter?!”

Kagari frowned sternly, and Kougami felt that to anger Kagari at this point would be cutting the only lifeline she had on this boat she'd stepped in. “I didn't really notice,” she relented, “A while, I guess… After a while I kind of… I dunno, I must've passed out.”

“He went down on you til you passed out? You didn't do anything to get him off  first?!” 

She hid her face in her hands, embarrassed and distraught. “I know…!” She groaned.

“Are you sure he didn't finish up while you were passed ou--”

“He didn't, he joked but took it back. I don't know, he was really nice through it all, and kept checking if I was okay with what he did… He said it was okay that I didn't do anything, but I feel like I messed up.”

Kagari sank into her seat. He was nice? That weirdo? Surely, there was a reason behind this? But she engaged him, supposedly, and it was the only time he made a move. He’d been considerate enough to check on her when they got into it, supposedly, and maybe he wasn't lying about not touching her after she passed out.

She looked at Kougami, the color of her face crawling down her neck. Her expression looked troubled, yet happy nonetheless. She glanced at Hinakawa, who, though seemed to be equally suspicious, was shaking her head at her subtly.

Unable to rid herself of her suspicions, she instead hid them. “Kouchan, maybe he was just trying to ease you in.”

“Ease me in?” 

“Like, he wants you to get used to it before asking you for anything. That's why he didn't mind.”

“So… Eventually, we might go… We might do it all the way?”

Kougami had taken on a confused but stern look, and Kagari rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. If you keep getting into it, I’m sure he'll do more stuff to ya. Why don't you try it tonight?” 

Kougami nodded. “Alright…” she nodded again, to herself. “Alright. Thanks, Kagari.”

Kagari patted her back and stood back up. “Yeah, sure. So do you feel like havin’ beef or pork?”

 

 

June 12, 2110. [9:47 PM]

Kougami sat at the bar drinking cola--Her leg was bouncing in place as she hunched over the counter. Kurata frowned as he watched, confused by her demeanor. 

The white haired guy hadn't shown up all week. Tonight was the night her contract would expire. He wondered if she was worried he wasn't going to renew it.

“Hey, piyogami, you should look around for other clients, already. That white-haired weirdo probably isn’t coming.”

Kougami shot Kurata a warning glare.

Kurata flinched but ended up scowling back. She wasn't an inspector anymore, no different from anyone else. “I’m just being honest. You’re the one in trouble if he doesn't show, right?”

“He’ll show up,” she mumbled, “...and his name is Yukimori, by the way.”

He scoffed. “First name basis, already? Pretty intimate.”

Kougami’s face turned red so quickly, Kurata had thought the lights were acting up. He expected her to rebuke him, but instead, she sighed and went back to staring at her drink, impatient and deep in thought. 

That’s when he figured it out.

He’d known from the girls’ chatter that Kougami had problems getting intimate, but from her demeanor he suspected that the last time she and “Yukimori” had met, she had managed to get past that barrier. His absence since then could easily be interpreted as him aiming for a hit and run, to disappear after finally getting her to put out. Now she was being cornered to find a new client.

He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly a little guilty. 

Just as he was about to call her attention to apologize, he spotted the man in question by the entrance, scanning the crowd. Kurata side eyed Kougami. After making sure she wasn't watching him do her a favor, he waved Yukimori over, directing his gaze to the lonely girl at the bar.

“Kougami-san,” Yukimori greeted. 

“Shibata-san…” she tried to hide her relief, but she knew she failed the moment she saw his smug face.

“Sorry about that, I got a bit caught up at work. I’m still on time to renew my contract, I believe? Did I worry you?”

She wanted to tell him to can it, and that she didn't care, but if she did, he might just be petty enough to not renew it. She chose to ignore the comment. “It doesn't matter. Come on, let's pay up front already.”

He chuckled as she stood up and went straight for the register. Kurata was surprised when the man gave him a nod--a bow?--of thanks.

Yukimori tailed Kougami up to the register, and after as they headed for the door. “Hey,” he started, and Kougami knew he was about to get annoying, “Sorry about that. I must've kept you waiting.”

“Was work hectic? You’re two months into the first term aren't you? Are your students starting to get rowdy?”

“No, no. They're all quite well-behaved. I teach an all-girl’s school.”

Kougami snapped back to face him, “you’re what?!”

“Are you jealous? I’m quite popular, but--”

“Heck no, I’m worried about the girls!!”

He raised an eyebrow at her with a slight pout. “How rude, didn't I treat you well last time?” 

Kougami had just cooled down, but she felt her face turning warm again. He smiled. “Could it be,” he whispered, “I wasn’t as attentive as you wanted me to be?”

Red as a tomato, mouth open in shock, Kougami had no words.

She turned quickly, not letting him get one more word in, but stopped in her tracks. 

Yukimori looked up to follow her gaze and saw Akane standing there, giving them a weak smile.

 

 

June 11, 2110. [09:31 AM]

Shisui swam into consciousness chasing soft pinpricks of light. She felt heavy and hazy. She could feel cold metal touching her skin.

When she opened her eyes fully, she was assaulted with the view of a bright room without windows. Technology all around her, her head seemed held in place somehow. Was she strapped down? Her hands were bound… As they gripped a Dominator aimed at her. 

She was aiming a Dominator at herself. 

What was her Crime Coefficient? 

“There are times when excitement works better to purify the hue, even more than trying to always remain calm.”

Her heart drummed inside her chest and her throat ran dry. The voice. That man’s voice. The one from the night before.

“Wh-who’s there?” She called, trying to sound brave.

She couldn't turn her head, so she tried to look around. She saw a man with dark brown hair working on a computer, and with horror, just as she realized she could only see through one eye, she saw a severed eyeball inside a machine.

She screamed, watching it, watching it watch her, her own eye staring at her like a scanner-- Like a monster. She screamed in disbelief. In fear. 

“I’m sorry, Mizue, I really needed an eye from an Inspector.”

A mechanical voice told her that her crime coefficient was at 129-- She was a target for enforcement. She heard it in her head like she had many times before, except now she was aiming at herself.

Was she going to die from her own gun like this? Taken apart, incomplete, and weak? Nothing but another latent criminal.

“N…No!” she cried, “No!!!!!”

She squirmed, hysteric, trying to free herself, trying to point the gun away. In her one working eye, she could see the display, her target’s coefficient rose as she struggled. It was at 150 and climbing.

“Calm down, Mizue,” the voice said. 

A hand touched her cheek, and Shisui looked at him. Standing inches away was the man in the holo.

“Your fear will end soon. I’ll make you clear to make up for taking your eye.”

His thumb caressed her cheek down to her lips. He traced the shape gently, sweetly, grazing the hem of her teeth. Though paralyzed with fear, Shisui let him.

“I understand very well how you are suffering,” he cooed, “Your worries about your hue worsening every time a crime occurred, your fear toward enforcers who might turn on you at any time. 

“What holds you back is yourself…” As his thumb reached further in, she could feel him touching the side of her tongue. 

Caught between her teeth, she bit down as hard as she could. 

“You have the strength to accept any circumstances, but…” he continued, unfazed even as her teeth broke skin and drew blood, even as it crunched down harder after, “that is exactly why you have been suffering.” he whispered.

Suddenly, her jaw laxed. Was she drugged? 

She looked up to see his eyes were brimming with fury, but just as much, with boundless sympathy. 

He spoke the words she needed to hear. He knew her. The sensation of his skin felt almost familiar as his thumb slid out from between her lips. 

“I’m going to release you from yourself…. From Sybil.” he said, his face softening, a tear escaping from his eyes.

“Remember the true you from long ago…” he said, almost pleading, “the one you’ve come to forget.”

As he pulled away, a mechanical voice spoke to her in her head. Crime coefficient under one hundred. It was confirming the man’s promise, telling her that she was clear, that she wasn't a latent criminal.

With a calm softness in her voice that surprised even her, she asked, “Who are you...?” 

The man smiled.

Leaning in, he touched her face with his. He stared into her eyes, barely an inch from his own. “My name is Kamui Kirito. I want to make you and this world clear… so clear, they're completely invisible.” He held her face in his hands and kissed her gently. He pulled away slowly, and stayed there, with their lips barely touching.

“Kamui…” she whispered. “I don't understand...you’re Riku...aren't you?” There was a silence. He had dropped hints, but he didn't expect her to notice so quickly. “You recognized me, Mizue. Yes, I am. I’m also many many other people.”

“I don't understand...but…” Shisui’s face melted into a gentle smile that matched her voice. “You are Mukojima Riku...the man I love...and you're Kamui Kirito...the man who cleared my soul… Right?”

He nodded.

“What a wonderful...person…” she smiled, melting into her chair. In her head a mechanical voice told her her Psychopass had lowered even further. 

A weight seemed to empty from within Kamui. Had she accepted him? Did she see him?

“Excitement can clear your hue.” he mused, his hands shaking, “Tell me, even with this unfamiliar face, do I excite you?”

She shrank into her seat, turning red. She was restrained, hands, legs and head, so the attempt to hide was futile. Instead, her fingers clenched, as if she was something in the palms of her own hands. 

To say he excited her was an understatement, she had no idea what he was doing to her.

A crooning sound, half purr and half whimper escaped from her when he touched her face. He watched her eyes turn the way her head couldn't, and rather than fighting her restraints, she seemed to retreat into them. 

The gesture of retreat scarred him. Perhaps she hadn't accepted him at all. “That’s right...every time, in the office...I blindfolded you, didn't I? You're not used to seeing me…” he wondered, “Aren't you curious? Don't you want to see me?”

She didn't answer. She couldn't. In all honesty she hadn't thought about it.

“Are you afraid of me?”

She could neither nod nor shake her head. 

“Do you desire me?”

That was the overwhelming aspect she knew to be true.

His heart sank, and a sad, pained expression came upon his face again. “Then you need to see me, Mizue. Really see me. If you do… I’m going to frighten you, I know, but also, you're going to see me...and I want you to…”

Confused, she turned her eyes back to him. His head lay gently, needily on her lap. A gesture Riku never would have shown.

“S-Show me…” she said.

Kamui turned his face up to her, stared at her worn face, her gentle, fearful face. 

“Show me,” she resigned.

She wanted to see. Though she knew, from what he said he was, that it might break her. 

His clothes fell off him as he stood up, the light melted from around him and he kept his gaze at level with hers.

Where once a man stood, then before her was definitely something else. Instead of one man, there stood before her was indeed what must've been a multitude, because no single man could look how he did. 

Though his shape was human, everything else seemed not to be so,  for  where there should have been skin, there were patches, where there should have been face and sinew, there was a  dissonance of flesh and bone, where there should've been any sense of his gender or sex, there was a mass of scarred tissue--the reason she had never had the appendage named Mukojima Riku enter her. 

The man, the entity named Kamui, his body seemed more fiction than his holo was.

Only his eyes didn't seem to change. 

Standing in full length, he was not much taller than Shisui knew herself to be. Nonetheless, she felt small before him. She could feel she was trembling, the voice in her head silent about the color of her soul. Could she feel so much emotion without clouding her hue? She never imagined she could.

Kamui watched the expression in her eyes shift rapidly from dread, to shock, to fear and confusion. Silent as she was, he could almost her hear screaming in her own head. “That isn't human!”

He grit his teeth, and Shisui yelped when he suddenly slammed his fists against either side of her. “What's wrong, Mizue?” he breathed. 

Shisui’s voice was caught in her throat, she didn't know what was wrong, she wasn't sure anything was. Her senses seemed numb. He smoothed his disfigured fingers over her harrowed, but human features. 

“Mizue,” he said, drawing back as if the words ached, “this is the man you said you loved, and just now, someone you called your savior. Sybil did this to me, you know…? I wasn't always like this. I might not look it but I’m still…Have you changed your mind, seeing me like this?”

The silence broke when she yelled, as if waking from a dream, “No!”

He paused. “No…” she cried, looking into him, “No. I-I haven't…!”

He kissed her like that, his body bare of clothing, of skin, and threw himself onto her. “Mizue…!” he sighed happily against her frozen frame. Tenderly running his arms across her back, in the small nook that the restraints allowed for her to provide him.

He knelt again, and spread her legs open. “Ri--Ka-Kamui!”

“I don't need to blindfold you anymore, do I?”

“But--” she shook her hands as they rattled against the restraints. The Dominator still pointed at her.

He smiled, or seemed to, his lips uneven strains of skin that stretched across over his teeth. “You’ve always enjoyed yourself more when I tied you up. No responsibility, no need to control yourself…”

The skeletal teeth parted, showing a very human, very pink tongue, stretch out and touch her, right across her clit. She twitched, no matter what her eyes told her, she felt Riku’s tongue and she wanted more of it. 

He massaged the tissue around her opening with his thumbs, moulding the shape like it were clay. Shisui groaned, her mouth hung open, and with the combination of the drugs and the sexual stimulation, it stayed open. In almost no time, the clay softened, and melted, and opened up dripping for him as much as her mouth did.

“Ka--haaah, Ka-Kamui… please….”

“Yeah, I’m rewarding you today,” he laughed. 

He slid both thumbs in and opened her like the pages of a book. Her toes curled, and her voice went high and quiet. He slid in his fingers and massaged her inside while he kissed her outside. 

The seat rattled, her body reacting in a violent rhythm. She watched the strange creature make love to her lower body, the monster undulating between her legs. Her mouth was unable to close, saliva dripping down her chin, under her shirt, across her chest, between her breasts. 

All the while, the goddess was quiet, or she couldn't hear her, unable to comprehend words or number or color. Her thoughts crashed and she felt her eyes rolling up. 

As she lost consciousness, her mind flashed white, and she wondered if that was the color of her soul she was seeing. 

 

June 12, 2110. [10:30 PM]

Yukimori came back with a beer, wine, and soda. 

“Sorry to trouble you,” Akane apologized.

“No, of course not. Consider it my repaying you for all you've done.”

“Tsunemori, what happened?” Kougami interjected, “You look troubled.”

“Is it so obvious?” he sighed, an apologetic smile on his face. Kougami and Yukimori waited for him to continue. 

The young Inspector peered down at his glass and took a sip. He held it in his hands at the edge of the table, folded close to him, like a child afraid of his parents’ judgement. “I watched someone die from a lethal paralyzer today,” he finally said, remorse in his tone. “It's not the first time, but…”

He didn't need to finish, Kougami picked up on it at once. “The culprit’s crime coefficient was barely three hundred…?” She offered.

Akane gave a weak nod. “I pointed the Dominator at him, and the moment I did, I saw his coefficient climb up and got cold feet. Kougami-san, I couldn't help but remember the night I had to shoot you,”--Yukimori raised an eyebrow at Kougami, and she waved the look away. She’d explain later--“your number was climbing so steadily, but you seemed to be the victim and I thought it shouldn't have been necessary. 

“Tonight, though, it was a culprit. The man was threatening us with explosives, and he’d already got a few inspectors severely injured…but nonetheless, I hesitated… Because if I’d pulled the trigger, I could've killed him.

“And because I hesitated, his coefficient did rise past three hundred. Because I hesitated, an enforcer had to take immediate action. Because I hesitated, a man died...and we lost the lead to our case!”

He sighed and took another gulp, “In the end, I was just getting in the way. Pathetic, isn't it?”

“It’s not pathetic.” Kougami answered curtly.

Akane and Makishima turned to Kougami, surprised. 

“It’s not pathetic.” She assured him.

“Listen, Tsunemori. I was an inspector too at some point. Then I left the CID to follow a lead, because I put my faith in an enforcer that I trusted. I had been undercover for about two years, without losing sight of my job….or so I told myself. You're different.”

“Kougami-san, what do you mean? I thought you stayed as long as you did because you were dedicated to your investigation?”

“Well, yes, but...doing work as a waitress, I often started to question myself. Was I really doing any good? Would they take me back? 

“I think I mostly stayed because I had gotten addicted to it, the feeling of the hunt. Following bread crumbs in the dark, I found myself on a self-imposed leash. I didn't stop to think about what I’d left behind, or where I’d gone...or even why. 

“It was foolish.” Kougami mused, and faintly shifted in her seat. Though her eyes were on Akane, her mind seemed to look back. “Becoming a detective isn't about catching bad guys, it's about protecting people. I remembered it just now, as you spoke. I don't know if I can protect anyone right now, but...maybe when I’ve pieced myself together strong enough, Tsunemori, I can come back to the CID.”

With this, Kougami gave Akane a faint smile, and added “I’m sure that with someone like you around as my superior, I could become that kind of detective.”

Akane felt something well up in his throat, choking his words. “Kougami-san…” 

Aoyanagi didn't always approve of Akane’s perspective and actions, whereas the enforcers tried to keep him clear and save him the trouble of thinking about unpleasant things. The moment the words passed Kougami’s lips, Akane felt a sense of support--of faith--that he hadn't yet experienced since he took this job. He was near tears, and his company noticed.

Yukimori, who Kougami now realized had been silent the whole while, finally chimed in. “Rather than feeling so depressed, I think it's rather commendable that you hesitated with that gun in your hands.”

“What are you going on about now?” Kougami sighed.

“Those guns, Dominators, they're only set to shoot people who’ve already been judged as threats by Sybil, correct? In other words, there is no judgement that is necessary on the part of the one shooting it. Yet, despite the dominator functioning perfectly, demanding that you shoot, you took a step back to question that judgement.”

At this, Yukimori raised his glass to Akane, but unlike usual, he wasn't smiling. “Inspector, I do believe that what you feel now is important and natural. It is the weight of the trigger, of judgement. The weight of your own autonomy.”

Akane, without really thinking, responded to the toast by clinking the mug of beer against the Yukimori’s glass of wine. He watched the teacher take a deliberate sip, a bemused, contemplative expression on his face, he watched him as the liquor ran down his own throat. 

Yukimori and Kougami were both amazing people. He himself hadn't thought so thoroughly on the matter--he doubted he ever would.

Before he knew it, his mug was empty. He looked down the barren mug and stood up with a little huff. “I think I should go. The truth is I only came by to tell you that I won't be able to drop by for a while, because things have gotten rather hectic since that night.

“Kougami-san,” he laid down a thick envelope, “I have more files in here for you. It’s not much, and I won't be returning for a while, so I apologize.”

“Think nothing of it, Tsunemori. You’ve been very kind.”

Akane gave a polite bow, and excused himself with a smile. Kougami watched him, then turned to look at Yukimori.

“Shiibata-sensei, what did you mean by that earlier? About the weight of our autonomy.”

“I meant exactly what I said. The weight he felt… It's commendable.”

He drank the rest of his wine and stood up. He offered his hand to her, which she didn't take. The words rang in her ear, and she wondered if it was a message for her too. 

The weight of the trigger... she wondered if she was training hard to pull it, or stop it?


End file.
